When it comes to the matter of testing, we have done poorly.

If we are to fight the spread of the coronavirus, testing is crucial in ensuring that we are aware of exactly who among the population are carrying the virus, and providing appropriate response through treatment, isolation, and quarantine.

If not, the virus will continue to spread, causing immense suffering and taking people’s lives, and the long-term effects of this will be catastrophic.

There are no two ways about it: When it comes to the matter of testing, we have done poorly.

Trends in other parts of the world go to show what extent the pandemic has caused damage to nations -- grinding the nation to a halt, leading to hundreds of thousands of people losing their lives, and leaving the economy at a standstill.

Do we want the same thing to happen in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has had, officially, only 48 cases of coronavirus so far coupled with five deaths, but if we are not testing, these numbers barely represent the reality of the situation in our country.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, we have only managed to test a mere 1,185 people -- a meagre number, to be certain, by any measure. 

When it comes to testing for the coronavirus, currently, there are two methods worth noting:

The Indian model, that does symptomatic testing, ie testing people travelling from a country with a high rate of coronavirus or those who have come into contact with someone who has tested positive.

And the South Korean model, which is far more indiscriminate and widespread as it tests anyone who shows symptoms, regardless of their travel history, contact history, or indeed age.

Bangladesh’s current criteria for testing -- which resembles the Indian model but throws in the added limitation of only testing symptomatic people aged 60 and above -- is nowhere enough.

As South Korea -- the only country to have successfully slowed down the spread of the virus -- has shown, constant testing and ensuring testing capacity is the only way forward.

The government already has plans to expand testing facilities by incorporating equipment into medical hospitals in each division, but we cannot afford to rest on our haunches and underestimate the rate at which the virus might be spreading in our communities. 

It is not too late -- we need to ramp up our testing rate so that we can control the coronavirus. 

Any laxity in this regard will lead to an inevitable disaster.