DHAKA, May 7, 2022 (BSS) - Bangladesh has ranked 5th out of 121 countries in the Nikkei Covid-19 Recovery Index while the country secured top position among the South Asian countries.

Bangladesh achieved the highest rank among South Asian countries with a score of 80 points, followed by Nepal which ranked 6th with a score of 79, according to the latest rankings published on Thursday( May 5).

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has been successful for controlling both infection and fatality rate of coronavirus," Director General of Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam told BSS this evening.

He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been constantly monitoring the entire situation of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in the country.
 
"With efforts of all, Bangladesh has been lauded globally for prevention of the outbreak of COVID-19... we have achieved remarkable success for handling three waves of coronavirus," Alam added. The health service chief dubbed success stories of COVID-19 in global stages as great achievement for Bangladesh.
 
With a score of 80 on the index, Bangladesh ranks only below Qatar, the UAE, Cambodia and Rwanda.

Of the other South Asian countries in the list, Nepal ranked 6th, Pakistan 23rd, Sri Lanka 31st, and India 70th in the world.

Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh have been on a downward trend since Mid-February this year. The country's total fatalities remain unchanged at 29,127, with no new deaths reported for over a fortnight now.

Bangladesh was placed at 13th position in the Covid recovery index in March.

Taiwan's ranking has plunged in the latest edition of Nikkei's Covid-19 Recovery Index as the island transitions from a strict zero-virus strategy to living with the respiratory illness, even as infections surge.

The country tumbled out of the fourth spot to 94th in the latest ranking, tying with China, which fell 62 places from last month as it battles its worst outbreak since the virus was first detected in the city of Wuhan more than two years ago.

The index, updated at the end of each month, assesses countries and regions on infection management, vaccine rollouts and social mobility.

The higher the ranking, the closer it is to recovery, characterised by lower infection and death rates, better inoculation coverage, as well as fewer movement restrictions.

The index is maintained by Nikkei, Japan's leading business publication group that includes the Nikkei, Nikkei Asia, and the Financial Times (of London).