coronavirus
Global Covid cases top 463 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 463 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 463,663,236 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,057,996 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 79,631,708 cases so far and 968,329 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Read: Pfizer asks US to allow 4th COVID vaccine dose for seniors
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,998,938 on Wednesday, as 2,876 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry data.
Besides, as many as 98 deaths due to the pandemic since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 516,072.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,488,777 cases as of Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 656,231.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of new coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 17% in the last week while Covid-19 infections rose, reversing a decline in cases that first began in January.
In the UN health agency’s weekly report on the pandemic issued late Tuesday, WHO said there were more than 11 million new Covid-19 infections last week -- about an 8% rise -- and 43,000 new deaths. The number of Covid deaths globally has been dropping for the past three weeks.
The biggest increase in cases were seen in the Western Pacific and Africa, where infections rose by 29% and 12%, respectively. Elsewhere, cases dropped by more than 20% in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas. In Europe, cases inched up by about 2%.
Situation in Bangladesh
No Covid-related death was reported in Bangladesh in 24 hours till Wednesday morning like the previous day.
On Tuesday, the country logged zero Covid-related death after more than three months.
Besides, 182 more infections were reported during the 24-hour period.
The country reported its first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
The daily positivity rate declined to 1.38 per cent from Tuesday’s 1.54 per cent after 13,062 samples were tested during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the latest report, the country’s total fatalities stated static at 29,112 while the caseload rose to 19,50,124.
Read:Bangladesh logs zero death from Covid after 3 months
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.67 per cent with the recovery of 1,192 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed after two years?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed after two years?
More countries are shifting toward a return to normal and learning to live with the virus. Safe, effective vaccines have been developed and there's better understanding of how to treat people sickened by the virus.
Read: Global Covid death toll crosses 6 million
Two years after the pandemic began, questions remain about the coronavirus. But experts know a lot more about how to keep it under control.
The virus mainly spreads through the air when an infected person exhales, talks, coughs or sneezes. It's why health officials have encouraged the use of masks and ventilating spaces, instead of focusing on advice to wipe down surfaces as they did early on.
Treatment has also evolved for people who get sick or need to be hospitalized. Among the options are antivirals, such as the drug remdesivir, or newer pills from Pfizer and Merck; anti-inflammatory drugs including steroids; and depending on what variant is circulating, lab-made antibodies to attack the virus.
“The world has watched us learn in real-time how to treat COVID-19,” says Neil J. Sehgal, an assistant professor of health policy and management at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.
COVID-19 vaccines were also developed in record time. As of early March, 10 vaccines have been cleared for emergency use by the World Health Organization.
Still, distribution of vaccines has been unequal despite an international effort to deliver shots more fairly and misinformation has fueled hesitancy about the shots.
Read: Living with Covid a privilege that many can't enjoy: IFRC chief
And there’s still much left to learn. Studies are underway to better understand long COVID-19, which can persist for months after an initial infection. And scientists are on the lookout for the next fast-spreading variant.
“Eventually every country will have to learn to live with COVID,” says Sehgal.
Global Covid cases top 436 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 436 million as Omicron infections keep rising across the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 436,385, 844 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,955,315 Tuesday morning.
The US has recorded 79,035,756 cases so far and 950,408 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,930,015 on Tuesday, as 5,885 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Death toll drops to 4 with positivity rate at 3.65%
Besides, 211 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the death toll to 514,054.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 28,787,620 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 649,443.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged four more Covid-linked deaths with 897 fresh cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
The daily positivity rate slightly declined to 3.65% from Sunday’s 4.01% after testing 24,605 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
On Sunday, Bangladesh reported nine Covid-linked deaths with 864 fresh cases. On Saturday, less than 1000 cases were reported after 52 days.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,037 and the caseload to 19,43,577.
Of the 67 deaths recorded from February 21 to February 27, some 26.5% received Covid vaccines while 73.5% did not, the DGHS said.
Also read: Bangladesh ranks first in South Asia in tackling Covid-19 pandemic: Health Minister
Among the new deceased, two were men and two women. Two deaths were reported from Dhaka division while one each from Chattogram and Khulna divisions.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49%. However, the recovery rate increased to 93.37% with the recovery of 7,976 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its earlier highest daily positivity rate at 33.37% reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported its first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
WHO: New COVID cases drop by 19% globally, deaths stable
The number of new coronavirus cases globally fell by 19% in the last week while the number of deaths remained stable, according to the World Health Organization.
The U.N. health agency said late Tuesday in its weekly report on the pandemic that just over 16 million new COVID-19 infections and about 75,000 deaths were reported worldwide last week.
The Western Pacific was the only region to report a rise in new weekly cases, an increase of about 19%, Southeast Asia reported a decrease of about 37%, the biggest drop globally. The number of deaths rose by 38% in the Middle East and by about one-third in the Western Pacific.
Read:Reduced brain function, immune disorder a possibility of "long COVID"
The biggest number of new COVID-19 cases was seen in Russia. Cases there and elsewhere in Eastern Europe doubled in recent weeks, driven by a surge of the hugely infectious omicron variant.
WHO said that all other coronavirus variants, including alpha, beta and delta, continue to decline globally as omicron crowds them out. Among the more than 400,000 COVID-19 virus sequences uploaded to the world’s biggest virus database in the last week, more than 98% were omicron.
WHO said the BA.2 version of omicron appears to be “steadily increasing” and its prevalence has risen in South Africa, Denmark, the U.K. and other countries.
Health officials have noted, however, that omicron causes milder disease than previous COVID-19 variants and in countries with high vaccination rates, hospitalization and death rates have not increased substantially, even with omicron’s spread.
Read: In reversal, FDA puts brakes on COVID shots for kids under 5
WHO’s Africa director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said last week there was “light at the end of the tunnel” for the continent and that even despite low vaccination rates, Africa was transitioning from the acute pandemic phase of COVID-19.
That optimism contrasts sharply with warnings from WHO Director-Feneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has said repeatedly the pandemic is not over and is premature for countries to think that the end might be imminent.
Educational institutions may be reopened at Feb-end: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the country’s educational institutions would be reopened at the end of the current month if the Coronavirus situation improves.
“We hope that the situation may change [improve] at the end of this month and then we can reopen schools, colleges and all other educational institutions,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while publishing the results of Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations 2021
Sheikh Hasina published the results, joining a function at International Mother Language Institute virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
Hasina said though online education was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, students were deprived of enjoying the classroom learning and company of their peers and friends at their institutions. “Our students are the worst victims of the Coronavirus fallout,” she said.
Also read: Educational institutions to remain shut until May 30
The Prime Minister said the Covid-19 vaccination programme continues so that the educational institutions can be reopened.
She said the government has taken measures to bring the people of all levels and stages under the vaccination coverage.
Noting that there is reluctance among people about getting vaccinated, Hasina asked all to take the vaccine shots to protect themselves from the dire consequences of Coronavirus.
Hasina hoped that Bangladesh would be able to tackle the Omicron variant of coronavirus soon.
Hasina said her government is giving the utmost importance to technical and vocational education and setting up technical school in every upazila across the country.
“Our students are very meritorious. If we can give them proper education, they'll be able to grab the job opportunities to be created at home and abroad following the fourth industrial revolution (4IR),” she said.
Also read: General holidays extended till May 30
Hasina said students will need job-oriented education as only the traditional academic degrees are not enough in the era of the 4th IR.
The Prime Minister said she has always given importance to science and technology education since assuming power in 1996.
In order to ensure multidimensional education, she said her government is now establishing university in every district, and setting up different types of universities, including science and technology, agricultural, medical, textile, maritime, airspace and aviation ones in both public and private sectors.
She said the government is setting up multidimensional higher educational institutions in order to create scopes for the country’s students to flourish their merits, imparting them with time-befitting knowledge and ensuring their jobs.
Hasina also stressed the need for strengthening research activities in different sectors with utmost importance on science and medical science research.
“We’ll have to give importance not only to education, but also to research always. We’ve gained significant success in agricultural research. But we still have to give further importance to science and medical science,” she said.
Since her government focused research, today Bangladesh is self-reliant in food production and can grow vegetables throughout the year, said the Prime Minister.
Due to research, Bangladesh has been able to fulfill the domestic food demand but also ensure the arrangements for meeting the nutrition demand of people, she said.
The Prime Minister extended her sincere thanks to the Education Ministry and all the education boards for releasing the results within 44 days after the HSC and equivalent examinations even amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni received the results of HSC and equivalent exams-2021 and related statistics from the chairmen of all the education boards.
At the function, Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhoury delivered the welcome speech, while Secondary and Higher Education Secretary Md Abu Bakr Siddique and Technical and Madarash education Secretary Md Aminul Islam Khan presented data and statistics over the HSC and equivalent exams and candidates.
Coronavirus can destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths
New research suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths in infected women.
It’s an uncommon outcome for any pregnancy but women with COVID-19 face an elevated risk. Authorities believe vaccination can help prevent these cases.
Researchers in 12 countries, including the United States, analyzed placental and autopsy tissue from 64 stillbirths and four newborns who died shortly after birth. The cases all involved unvaccinated women who had COVID-19 during their pregnancy.
The study bolsters evidence from small case reports and it confirms that placenta damage rather than an infection of the fetus is the likely cause of many COVID-19-related stillbirths, said Dr. Jeffery Goldstein, a pathologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
He was not involved in the study, which was published Thursday in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.
Also read: Can you get long COVID after an infection with omicron?
Previous evidence suggests the chances of stillbirth are higher than usual for pregnant women with COVID-19, particularly from the delta variant. Vaccination recommendations include pregnant women and note their higher risk for complications when infected.
Lead author Dr. David Schwartz, an Atlanta pathologist, said other infections can infiltrate the placenta and cause stillbirth, typically by infecting and damaging the fetus. A recent example is Zika virus.
He and his colleagues wanted to see if that was the case with stillbirths in women with COVID-19. But what they found was almost the opposite: it was the placenta that was infected and extensively destroyed.
“Many of these cases had over 90% of the placenta destroyed — very scary,” said Schwartz.
Normal placenta tissue is a healthy reddish hue and spongy. The specimens they studied were stiff, with dark discolorations of dead tissue. While other infections can sometimes damage the placenta, Schwartz said he’d never seen them cause such consistent, extensive destruction.
The placenta is an organ that forms and attaches to the womb during pregnancy. It connects with the umbilical cord, providing oxygen and nourishment from the mother’s bloodstream.
The virus likely reached the placenta through the bloodstream, attaching to susceptible cells and causing protein deposits and an unusual form of inflammation that blocked blood flow and oxygen. That in turn led to placenta tissue death and suffocation, the researchers said.
Also read: India logs 71,365 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 42,410,976
Coronavirus was also detected in some of the fetuses, but evidence of suffocation in the womb points to placenta damage as the more likely cause of death, they said.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in November found that among pregnant U.S. women infected with COVID-19, about 1 in 80 deliveries was a stillbirth — the loss of a fetus anytime after 20 weeks. That’s compared with 1 in 155 among uninfected women.
The study stillbirths occurred on average at 30 weeks; normal pregnancies last about 40 weeks.
High blood pressure, certain chronic illnesses and fetal abnormalities are among conditions that can increase chances for stillbirths, including in women with COVID-19.
It is unclear whether omicron infections also increase chances for stillbirths; the study was done before that highly infectious variant emerged.
Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 29 more deaths with 8,345 fresh infections
Bangladesh logged 29 more Covid-linked deaths with 8,345 fresh cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
The daily positivity rate slightly declined to 21.50 from Saturday’s 23.83 percent after testing 38,247 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
On Saturday, Bangladesh reported 36 more Covid-linked deaths with 8,359 fresh cases.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,589 while the caseload mounted to 1,861,532.
Read: Follow health guidelines; new Omicron to be more contagious: DGHS
Among the new deceased, 15 were men and 14 women.
Fourteen of the deaths were reported in Dhaka division while four each in Chattogram and Khulna, three in Rangpur, two each in Mymensingh, and one each in Rajshahi and Sylhet divisions.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.54 percent.
However, the recovery rate slightly increased to 86.09 percent with the recovery of 8,159 more patients during the 24-hour period.
In January, the country reported 322 Covid-linked deaths and 2,13,294 new cases while 19,112 recovered from the disease, according to the DGHS.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its earlier highest daily positivity rate at 33.37% reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Read: Bangladesh's Omicron tally now stands 106
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Celebrations for Year of the Tiger are muted, but bring hope
People across Asia prepared Monday for muted Lunar New Year celebrations amid concerns over the coronavirus and virulent omicron variant, even as increasing vaccination rates raised hopes that the Year of the Tiger might bring life back closer to normal.
The Lunar New Year is the most important annual holiday in China and falls on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Each year is named after one of twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac in a repeating cycle. The Year of the Tiger follows the Year of the Ox.
This will be the third new year in a row celebrated in the shadow of the pandemic. It was two days before the holiday in 2020 that China locked down Wuhan — a city of 11 million people — following the detection of the coronavirus there.
Some 85% of Chinese are now fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, and more Chinese have been traveling domestically this year, despite government warnings. Many people prepare to celebrate by buying red lanterns and other decorations for their homes, and food to mark the beginning of a new year.
Also read: NYC Lunar New Year parade showcases support for China, Wuhan
Still, 63-year-old retiree Huang Ping lamented as he shopped at a Beijing flower market that the new year’s “atmosphere has faded” with the closure of temples and seasonal fairs to prevent large crowds. He said he hoped for better times soon.
“I wish for the epidemic to pass as early as possible and for the economy to recover as well,” he said.
Another retiree, Han Guiha, said he was planning on making the best of the situation.
“I’ll stay at home enjoying good food and wine,” the 62-year-old said. “I will make my house clean and beautiful. Right now the virus is spreading and we need to be careful.”
Some 260 million people traveled in China in the first 10 days of the holiday rush starting Jan. 17 — fewer than before the pandemic but up 46% over last year. Overall, the government forecasts 1.2 billion trips during the holiday season, up 36% from a year ago.
This year the celebrations coincide with the Beijing Winter Olympics, which open near the end of the weeklong holiday. The Chinese capital has been tightening controls to contain coronavirus outbreaks ahead of the sporting event.
The Games are being held inside sealed-off “bubbles,” and organizers have announced that no tickets will be sold to the general public and only selected spectators will be allowed.
“I’ll watch the games with my kid, but of course on TV,” said Wang Zhuo, a retail manager from Beijing.
In Hong Kong, which saw a surge in cases in January, people wore surgical masks as they shopped for red and tiger-themed holiday items. The city has closed schools because of the outbreaks and required restaurants to close at 6 p.m., forcing many to dine at home for traditional New Year’s Eve family dinners.
Also read: Pandemic dampens Pahela Boishakh celebrations in Bangladesh
With the Year of the Tiger, many are hoping the traditional powers attributed to the animal will help put the country on a path out of the pandemic, said Chen Lianshan, a Beijing university expert on Chinese folklore.
“The tiger is a protection against evil spirits and it can defeat demons and ghosts of all kinds, and the Chinese believe that the plague is one kind of an evil spirit,” he said.
Elsewhere in Asia, there were signs that celebrations might not be as subdued as they were last year. Despite ongoing pandemic restrictions, most people are now vaccinated with at least two shots in many of the region’s countries.
In the old quarter of Hanoi, people flocked on the weekend to the traditional market to get decorations and flowers for the festival, known as Tet in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s daily case count remains at about 15,000 new infections but its low hospitalization and death rate has allowed the country to reopen for business and cautiously resume social activities.
More than 70% of Vietnamese are fully vaccinated, and 80% have had at least one shot, according to Our World in Data.
Still, the country has cancelled Tet fireworks and other large events to minimize risks this year.
In Thailand, where 69% of people are fully vaccinated, Bangkok decided this year not to hold traditional Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown for the second year in a row, but was going ahead with lighting seasonal lanterns on the district’s main street.
In Singapore, Lunar New Year celebrations are more subdued due to coronavirus restrictions that allow residents to receive only five unique visitors a day, and preferably only one visit daily. The rules are likely to get in the way of the tradition of visiting relatives during the holiday.
“This year it will be rather quiet, as people are spacing out visiting over the next two weeks instead of on the first or second day of the new year,” said Sebastian Lim, a Singapore resident.
Business was brisk at a flower market in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei on Monday as people made last minute purchases. Some 73% of Taiwanese are fully vaccinated.
“The pandemic is surely affecting it a bit, but people still like flowers, so they come out and buy flowers,” said one shopkeeper, who only gave his name as Lee.
“But prices are lower because we have overproduction and we can’t export some items — this is our biggest problem.”
Ethnic Chinese shopkeepers in Myanmar face a bigger dilemma, as the new year coincides with the one-year anniversary of the military’s seizure of power from the democratically-elected government.
Supporters of the growing anti-military movement have called for people to close their shops and businesses in a nationwide “silent strike” protest. Military leaders have warned that anyone who participates could face legal action, including charges of violating the country’s counter-terrorism law.
But that has left shopkeepers who had planned to close anyway for the Lunar New Year to spend time with their families wondering what to do.
“Normally we are closed during Chinese new year, but don’t know what to do this year,” said Hu, a noodle vendor in Yangon who wouldn’t give his full name out of fear of reprisal. “We want to close, but we have to be afraid of the authorities.”
Clinical guideline finalised to fight off Omicron
The clinical guideline to curb the spread of the Omicron strain of Coronavirus has been finalised, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Dr Nazmul Islam, spokesperson of the DGHS, came up with the information at a virtual bulletin over the Covid situation across the country on Wednesday.
Read:Covid in Bangladesh: Positivity rate slightly declines to 31.64%
Urging people to be careful about the spike in Omicron cases, Dr Nazmul, said, “The infection rate is on the rise due to the new variant of Coronavirus. A clinical guideline has been prepared for preventing the transmission of the new variant and sent to the organisations concerned.”
“The symptoms of Omicron have been added to the guideline and we’re working to find out whether there’re any new symptom of the infection,” he said.
He laid emphasis on maintaining health guidelines.
Mentioning that the infection rate of Covid-19 is over 32%, Dr Nazmul said, “The proper use of masks, maintaining health guidelines, ensuring social distance, washing hands with soaps can control the virus transmission.”
Over 16,000 people have been tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, he added.
Bangladesh logged 17 more Covid-linked deaths with 15,527 fresh cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The daily positivity rate slightly declined to 31.64 per cent from Tuesday’s 32.40 per cent after testing 49,275 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,273 while the caseload mounted to 1,731,524 on Wednesday.
Read: Symptoms of Omicron: How is it different from Covid-19 Variant Delta?
Meanwhile, the mortality rate further declined to 1.63 per cent.
Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 69 with the detection of five more cases till Sunday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
Global Covid cases top 354 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surpassed 354 million amid the rise in Omicron infections across the globe.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 354,310,228 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,603,714 Tuesday morning.
The US has recorded 71,645,863 cases so far and 868,420 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 39,543,328 Monday, as 306,064 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's data.
Monday was the fifth consecutive day when over 300,000 new cases were registered in a day in the country in over eight months.
Also read: Global Covid cases near 350 million
Besides, as many as 474 deaths were recorded since Saturday morning, taking the death toll to 489,896.
Meanwhile, the country's Omicron tally reached 10,050 Monday. Most of the Omicron cases have been reported from the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, registered 24,134,946 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 623,412.
Covid situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 15 more Covid-linked deaths with 14,828 fresh cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
The daily positivity rate rose to 32.37 percent from Sunday’s 31.29 percent after testing 45,807 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country logged its peak daily positivity rate of 32.55 percent on July 24 last year, reporting 6,780 cases and 195 deaths.
Bangladesh last saw 15,776 cases on August 3 last year with 235 deaths.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,238 while the caseload mounted to 1,699,964 Monday.
Of the 79 deaths recorded from January 17 to January 23, some 35.4 percent received Covid vaccines while 64.6 percent did not, the DGHS mentioned.
Among the new deceased, nine were men and six women.
Also read: Govt. will wait for a week to take further decision on Covid-19 curbs: Farhad
Six cases were reported in Dhaka division while three in Mymensingh, two in Sylhet and one each in Chattogram, Rajshahi Khulna, and Barishal divisions.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate further declined to 1.66 percent.
However, the recovery rate also declined further to 91.64 percent with the recovery of 998 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 69 with the detection of five more cases till Sunday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 last year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 last year.