coronavirus pandemic
Global Covid cases keep rising amid Omicron spread
The overall number of coronavirus cases is fast approaching 307 million with the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus across the globe.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 306,913,042 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,488,375 Monday morning. That means 2,054,267 cases were reported all over the world in the last 24 hrs.
The US has recorded 60,072,321 cases so far and 837,594 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 60 million on Sunday.
Britain reported another 141,472 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 14,475,192, according to official figures released Sunday.
Read: Oregon issues hospital crisis care standards as COVID surges
The country reported a further 97 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 150,154.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 35,528,004 on Sunday as a steep rise of 159,632 new daily cases were registered, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
This is the third consecutive day when more than 100,000 daily cases were registered in the country.
Besides, 327 pandemic-related deaths since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 483,790.
Meanwhile, India's Omicron tally has reached 3,623, out of which Maharashtra and Delhi have reported 1,009 and 513 cases, respectively. Till now 1,409 patients have been discharged after recovery, as per the federal Health Ministry's data.
Situation in Bangladesh
The Covid-19 situation keeps worsening in Bangladesh with health authorities logging three more deaths and 1,491 new infections in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
With the detection of fresh cases after testing 21,980 samples, the daily-case positivity rate jumped to 6.78 percent from Saturday’s 5.79 per cent during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country last recorded 1,562 cases on September 21, last year with a death toll of 26.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,102 while the caseload mounted to 15, 93, 700.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.76 per cent during the period.
Meanwhile, the recovery rate further declined to 97.31 per cent with the recovery of 217 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Bangladesh is currently seeing a surge of Covid-19 cases as health authorities logged 8,161 infections in the last nine days since January 1.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 21 with detection of 11 cases on Friday, 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.
Read:Covid cases in Bangladesh mark a sharp rise by 115% in one week: DGHS
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 logged 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.
Meanwhile, the positive cases of Coronavirus have increased by 115 per cent in Bangladesh over the last one week compared to the previous week, says the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
“As many as 6,300 new Covid cases have been reported in one week which is 3,376 more than the previous week,” said DGHS Director Prof Nazmul Islam in the regular DGHS briefing on Sunday.
During the period, he said, 23 Covid patients have died, which is 15 per cent higher than the previous week.
Will he stay or will he go? Djokovic’s hearing looms large
After four nights in an Australian immigration detention hotel, Novak Djokovic will get his day in court Monday in a deportation case that has polarized opinions and elicited heartfelt support for the top-ranked tennis star in his native Serbia.
Djokovic had his visa canceled after arriving at Melbourne airport last week when Australian border officials ruled that he didn’t meet the criteria for an exemption to an entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
His lawyers have since filed court papers in his challenge against deportation from Australia that show Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 last month and recovered. He used that as grounds in applying for a medical exemption to Australia’s strict vaccination rules.
Read:Djokovic in limbo as he fights deportation from Australia
The case is scheduled for a virtual hearing to appeal the visa cancellation. It will take place at 10 a.m. local time in Melbourne (2300 GMT Sunday) in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
On Sunday, Australian media reported that a federal government bid for extra time to prepare its case against Djokovic was denied. The application, made on behalf of Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews during the weekend, sought to adjourn the final hearing by two days — just five days from the start of the Australian Open.
Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly refused the application and the case will resume on Monday as planned.
In Serbia on Saturday, Djokovic’s family held a rally in support of him in Belgrade for the third successive day, and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic assured him of her government’s support over his visa battle to ensure he can enter Australia and defend his Australian Open title. The tournament begins Jan. 17 — just a week from his court date.
“We’ve managed to make sure gluten-free food is delivered to him, as well as exercising tools, a laptop and a SIM card so that he is able to be in contact with his family,” Brnabic said. It comes as Australian media reported that immigration officials denied a request to have Djokovic’s personal chef cook meals for him in the immigration hotel.
Djokovic is nine-time Australian Open champion. He has 20 Grand Slam singles title, a men’s record he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
In Djokovic’s perfect world, he would have been eating food cooked by that personal chef, worked out at a gym and trained every day on-court since his arrival, mingling with his support group and friends along the way.
Instead, he’s been confined to his room in a modest immigration hotel in downtown Melbourne, with guards in the corridor.
The case has become a complex one.
Djokovic was given a medical exemption backed by the Victoria state government and Australian Open organizers on Jan. 1, based on information he supplied to two independent medical panels. He was approved for a visa electronically.
But it has since emerged that the Victoria state medical exemption, allowed for people who tested positive for the coronavirus within the last six months, was deemed invalid by the federal border authorities.
It would have been valid to enter the tournament, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the Australian Border Force.
Read: Comeback! Djokovic tops Tsitsipas at French Open for Slam 19
Australian media have reported details of the court documents expected to entered into testimony on Monday. It showed Djokovic received a letter from Tennis Australia’s chief medical officer on Dec. 30 “recording that he had been provided with a ‘medical exemption from COVID vaccination’ on the grounds that he had recently recovered from COVID.”
It said Djokovic’s first positive test was Dec. 16 and, on the date of issue, the exemption said the 34-year-old player “had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms in the past 72 hours.”
Djokovic attended a Dec. 17 event in Belgrade honoring young tennis players. The event was covered by local media, and parents posted photos on social media showing Djokovic and the children not wearing masks. It’s not clear if Djokovic knew the results of his test at the time.
On Dec. 14, Djokovic had attended a Euroleague basketball game between Red Star and Barcelona in a packed sports hall in Belgrade. He was photographed hugging several players of both teams, including some who soon later tested positive.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said “rules are rules” and that incoming passengers were responsible for meeting border regulations, has been accused of taking advantage of Djokovic’s case to improve his battered standings in popularity polls ahead of a looming election.
Djokovic’s plight has prompted claims from Serbia that Djokovic is being treated like a prisoner. The player himself appears to have become a standard-bearer for anti-vaccine groups, including some people who’ve gathered outside for support outside his immigration hotel.
Australian Open organizers have been been taking some heat over the Djokovic situation, and with apparent good reason.
Tennis Australia, which runs the tournament and organizes the logistics for more than 2,000 incoming players, staff and officials, reportedly gave incorrect interpretations to players about the acceptable grounds for an exemption. That included the interpretation that having had a coronavirus infection within the previous six months would qualify. Organizers have blamed the federal government for its mixed messages on the policy.
Tournament director Craig Tiley has continued working in the background with Djokovic, or so it seems.
Tiley’s video message to Australian Open staff about the tournament’s “difficult time in the public arena” was published in News Corp. newspapers Saturday.
“There’s been a circumstance that relates to a couple of players, Novak particularly . . . in a situation that is very difficult,” Tiley said in the video. “We’re a player-first event. We’re working closely with Novak and his team, and others and their team, that are in this situation.”
Djokovic was one of two players put into detention in the hotel that also houses refugees and asylum seekers. A third person, reported to be an official, left the country voluntarily after border force investigations.
The other player was 38-year-old doubles specialist Renata Voráčová, who had already been in Australia for a week before an investigation by the border officials. The Czech foreign ministry said Voráčová voluntarily left Australia after deciding not to appeal the decision.
The court hearing on Monday will determine whether Djokovic is not far behind her.
Covid positivity rate in Bangladesh rises to 5.67%
Amid a new surge in the virus Bangladesh reported another covid-linked death and 1,146 fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the detection of fresh cases after testing 20,890 samples, the daily-case positivity rose to 5.67 per cent from Thursday’s 4.86 per cent during the period, according to the DGHS.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,098 while the caseload mounted to 15,91,093.
Read: WHO: Record weekly jump in COVID-19 cases but fewer deaths
The mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent during the period.
Besides, the recovery rate further declined to 97.45 per cent with the recovery of 170 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Bangladesh is currently seeing a surge of Covid-19 cases as health authorities logged 5,557 infections in the last seven days till Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 20 with detection of ten cases on Friday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
Bangladesh’s daily cases last crossed 1,100 on September 29, 2021 with the registering of 1,178 cases and 17 deaths.
Read: Covid surge in Bangladesh: 5,000 get infected in just one week
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 logged 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.
Sourav Ganguly's daughter contracts Covid
Indian cricket control board chief Sourav Ganguly's 20-year-old daughter Sana has tested positive for Covid, a week after her father was hospitalised after contracting the virus.
"Sana is recuperating at their home in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. Thankfully, Sourav's wife Dona, has not contracted the virus," sources close to the family told UNB on Wednesday.
Sourav, affectionately called 'Dada', was hospitalised in the last week of December after testing positive for Covid. He returned home recently after having recovered.
The 49-year-old former India skipper was, in fact, admitted to Woodlands hospital on December 26 night, three days after attending the premiere of Bengali superstar Dev's latest film Tonic.
Sourav was hospitalised thrice last year.
On January 2 last year, Sourav was rushed to Woodlands after he complained of acute chest pain and dizziness while working out at a gym. Later that day, he underwent angioplasty after three tiny blockages were detected in his coronary artery.
Later that month, he had to be rushed to Apollo hospital after he complained of mild chest pain. Subsequently, he underwent another angioplasty surgery at the hospital.
Considered one of the best captains in international cricket, Sourav quit the game in 2008 but continued playing in the multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament Indian Premier League for a few more years.
He scored more than 18,500 runs in Tests and one-day internationals. In 2020, Dada was elected as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's richest cricketing body.
Global Covid cases top 277 million
Amid a global scare over the new strain of Covid-19, the overall number of coronavirus cases has now surged past 277 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 277,11,912 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,376,422 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 51,545,991 cases to date and more than 812,069 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Read:India braces for third Covid wave
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,222,928 cases as of Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 618,091.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,758,481 on Wednesday, as 6,317 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Besides, 318 deaths from the pandemic have been reported since Tuesday morning, taking the total death toll to 478,325.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 352 fresh cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The detection of the new cases after testing 18,938 samples took the daily case positivity rate to 1.87 percent during the period, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The positivity rate was 1.39 percent a day before, with the detection of 291 fresh cases.
With the new numbers, the total fatalities rose to 28,052 while the caseload mounted to 15,81,986, according to the directorate.
Read: Covid positivity rate in Bangladesh rises to 1.87%
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 percent during the period.
Besides, the recovery rate remained steady at 97.75 percent with the recovery of 281 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On December 9, 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 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 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
Global covid cases near 275 million as Omicron raging through world
The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching 275 million amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in several western countries.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 274,692,249 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,354,148 as of Monday morning.
The US has recorded 50,846,828 cases so far and more than 806,439 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
In Britain, another 12,133 Omicron cases have been recorded, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 37,101, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Britain reported 82,886 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,361,387, according to official figures released Sunday. The country registered a further 45 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,218, with 7,611 Covid-19 patients still in hospital.
Read: UK health boss: COVID-19 rules could tighten by Christmas
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,213,762 cases as of Monday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,803.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,740,275 on Sunday, as 7,081 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, as many as 264 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 477,422.
Moreover, 10 new cases of the Omicron variant were logged in India's capital on Friday, taking the country's case tally of the new variant to 98.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported another Covid-linked death while the daily-case positivity rate rose to 1.22 per cent with health authorities logging 211 fresh cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
On Saturday, the daily-case positivity rate dropped below 1 per cent with the logging of 122 new cases.
The total fatalities rose to 28,048 while the caseload mounted to 15,81, 083 with the fresh ones, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The latest deceased was a man, aged between 51 and 60, and he hailed from the Dhaka division.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent during the period.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 17, 332 samples, said the DGHS.
Besides, the recovery rate declined a bit to 97.75 per cent with the recovery of 168 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On December 9, 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 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 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
Read: Omicron may sideline two leading drugs against COVID-19
Booster dose
Bangladesh on Sunday started administering the Covid-19 booster dose to health workers on trial basis in capital Dhaka to fight off Covid-19.The booster dose is being administered at Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) in Mohakhali area of the city in the morning.“Initially, the booster dose will be administered on a low scale as a caution. After observing the effects of the vaccine for a few days, it’ll be rolled out for others,” Dr Abu Hossain Md Mainul Ahsan, the Civil Surgeon of Dhaka district, told journalists on Saturday in a virtual briefing.Besides, doctors, nurses and health workers will get the dose, while senior citizens will get it in the next phase, keeping their comorbidities in mind.” said the Civil Surgeon.On December 13, the Cabinet directed the authorities concerned, particularly the health minister and the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, to work on a precise guideline over the campaign of booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh.
Omicron may sideline two leading drugs against COVID-19
As strained U.S. hospitals brace for a new surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the fast-spreading omicron variant, doctors are warning of yet another challenge: the two standard drugs they’ve used to fight infections are unlikely to work against the new strain.
For more than a year antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly have been the go-to treatments for early COVID-19, thanks to their ability to head off severe disease and keep patients out of the hospital.
But both drugmakers recently warned that laboratory testing suggests their therapies will be much less potent against omicron, which contains dozens of mutations that make it harder for antibodies to attack the virus. And while the companies say they can quickly develop new omicron-targeting antibodies, those aren’t expected to launch for at least several months.
A third antibody from British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline appears to be the best positioned to fight omicron. But Glaxo’s drug is not widely available in the U.S., accounting for a small portion of the millions of doses purchased and distributed by the federal government. U.S. health officials are now rationing scarce drug supplies to states.
Read:Fauci says omicron variant is 'just raging around the world'
“I think there’s going to be a shortage,” said Dr. Jonathan Li, director of the Harvard/Brigham Virology Specialty Laboratory. “We’re down to one FDA-authorized monoclonal antibody” with omicron because of the reduced effectiveness of Regeneron and Lilly’s drugs.
The delta variant still accounts for more than 95% of estimated U.S. cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But agency leaders say omicron is spreading faster than any past variant and will become the dominant strain nationwide within weeks.
Delivered by injection or infusion, antibodies are laboratory-made versions of human proteins that help the immune system fight off viruses and other infections.
Glaxo’s drug, developed with Vir Biotechnology, was specifically formulated to bind to a part of the virus that is less likely to mutate, according to the companies. Early studies of laboratory-simulated omicron by the drugmakers and outside researchers show promising results.
Supply of the drug is “extremely limited, and additional doses of the product will not be available until the week of January 3rd,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in an statement posted online.
After pausing distribution last month to conserve supply, HHS is now shipping 55,000 doses of the drug, called sotrovimab, to state health departments, with the doses arriving as early as Tuesday. An additional 300,000 are expected in January.
The agency said it is distributing the drug to states based on their levels of infections and hospitalizations.
HHS recommends states conserve the drug for the highest risk patients who are most likely to have omicron infections, either based on laboratory testing that can identify the variant or elevated levels of omicron spread in local communities, identified as 20% and higher.
High-risk patients include seniors and those with serious health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and immune-system disorders.
Prior to the pause in shipments, Glaxo’s drug accounted for about 10% of the 1.8 million antibody doses distributed to state health officials between mid-September and late November, according to federal figures.
London-based Glaxo says it is on track to produce 2 million doses by May, under contracts with the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Japan and several other countries. The company is working to add more manufacturing capacity next year.
The loss of two leading antibody therapies puts even more focus on a pair of highly anticipated antiviral pills that U.S. regulators are expected to soon authorize.
The drugs from Pfizer and Merck would be the first treatments Americans can take at home to head off severe disease. Pfizer’s drug in particular has shown a powerful effect, curbing hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90% in high-risk patients.
“If it’s rolled out effectively this has a real big potential,” to make up for antibody treatments, said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University. “That’s an immediate place where these antivirals could minimize the impact of omicron.”
Read: WHO: Omicron detected in 89 countries, cases doubling fast
Still, initial supplies of both drugs are expected to be limited.
The shrinking toolbox of treatments is a painful reminder that the virus still has the upper hand in the U.S., even with more than 200 million Americans fully vaccinated.
Scientists around the world are racing to understand omicron, including whether it causes more or less severe disease and how easily it evades protection from prior infection, vaccination, and antibody drugs.
“We’re certainly going to see hospitalizations rise,” said Dr. James Cutrell of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “If we have a lack of antibodies that’s certainly going to contribute to that many more patients needing to be in the hospital.”
WHO: Omicron detected in 89 countries, cases doubling fast
The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission and not just infections acquired abroad, the World Health Organization said Saturday.
Omicron's "substantial growth advantage" over the delta variant means it is likely to soon overtake delta as the dominant form of the virus in countries where the new variant is spreading locally, the U.N. health agency said.
Read: Booster at least 80% effective against severe Omicron
Booster doses to be rolled out on trial basis from Sunday: Health Minister
Covid-19 booster doses will be administered on trial basis from Sunday, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
However, the minister did not mention the time and vaccination center where the booster doses will be administered.
The minister said this at a Pitha-Puli festival in Manikganj on Friday.
Maleque said the government decided to administer booster doses to senior citizens aged above 60 and frontliners, including doctors, nurses, government officials and journalists, who got the two doses of vaccine six months ago.
He said that all the activities to administer booster doses are underway. “The Prime Minister also has given approval to start a booster dose.”
In this regard, steps to update the ‘Surokkha’ app are in progress. Besides, lists of those who are eligible for booster dose are being prepared, said the minister.
Read: Covid booster doses to start within 7-10 days: Minister
Zahid Maleque said seven crore people received the first dose and 4.5 crore people have been fully vaccinated so far in Bangladesh.
There is no shortage of covid vaccines in the country. Currently, seven lakh doses of Pfizer vaccines are in stock. In all, 4.45 crore doses of vaccine are in stock.
Two crore more doses of vaccine will arrive next month, the minister added.
On Wednesday, Zahid Maleque said at a programme while receiving 80 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Japan and UK through the global COVAX facility that the drive to administer Covid-19 booster doses will be in the next seven to ten days.
On Monday, the Cabinet directed the authorities concerned, particularly the Health Minister and the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, to work on a precise guideline over the campaign of booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh.
PM also instructed earlier the technical committee to work on a precise guideline over when the booster dose campaign needs to be started.
On Sunday, the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 recommended booster shots to the citizens above 60 and frontliners.
Read: National Committee recommends booster dose for above 60 citizens, frontliners
The senior citizens and frontliners who got the two doses of vaccine six months ago will get the booster dose, the NTAC recommended at a meeting.
It also suggested all to take steps to limit public gatherings, meetings and rallies to contain the spread of Omicron.
On December 9, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Omicron is now present in 57 countries and asked all countries to stay alert about the new variant.
A WHO panel named the Coronavirus variant ‘Omicron’ and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the USA.
Amid the growing concern over the new ‘Omicron’ variant of coronavirus, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) suggested the implementation of 15 instructions to prevent the spread of the new variant and urged all concerned to take measures to enforce the instructions.
Global Covid cases top 267 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has now crossed 267 million amid the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 267,087,259 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,270,558 Wednesday morning.
The US has recorded 49,380,791 cases to date and more than 791,514 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,157,726 cases as of Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 616,018.
In India, which is currently seeing a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, the tally rose to 34,648,383, according to the federal health ministry.
Read: COVID-19: India's 50 pc adults fully vaccinated, Centre targets 100 pc 1st dose coverage by December 31
India’s Covid-19 death tally mounted to 473,757 during the same period. Besides, India has so far confirmed 23 cases of the Omicron variant.
Covid situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged five more Covid-linked deaths and 291 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the latest cases, the daily case positivity rate increased again to 1.45 percent from Monday’s 1.44 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 28,010 while the caseload mounted to 15,78,011.
Among the latest deceased, four were men and one was a woman. Four deaths were reported from Dhaka division, while one was from Chattogram division.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 percent during the period.
Read: Omicron brings COVID-19 vaccine inequity 'home to roost'
The fresh cases were detected after testing 19,868 samples, amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant.
Besides, the recovery rate slightly increased to 97.78 percent, with the recovery of 308 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On November 20, Bangladesh logged this year’s first zero Covid-linked death with 178 cases.
Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
Of the 113 deaths recorded from November 1 to November 30, 12.4 percent received Covid jabs while 87.6 percent did not, the DGHS mentioned.
So far, 3,84,97,417 people have fully been vaccinated in the country, while 6,53,07,376 received the first dose as of Monday, according to the directorate.
Among them, 1,39,802 students, aged from 12-17, have fully been vaccinated, while 9,70,160 students received the first dose so far.