Thirteen more Covid-19 deaths were reported during the period; the mortality rate stood at 1.53%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The daily percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 continued to inch back above 5% after a month of a downtrend. The infection rate rose to 6.62% from 5.82% on Thursday.

With the latest figures, the Covid-19 fatalities climbed to 8,515 and the total infections to 555,222, the DGHS said.

However, 1,252 people recovered from Covid-19 during the period.

Also read: Remain alert as Covid-19 infection rising: Health Minister

So far, 509,172 patients – 91.71% – have recovered in the country since the first cases were reported on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18 in the same year.

Health authorities have so far tested 4,232,139 samples, including 16,111 in the past 24 hours.

Vaccination drive in Bangladesh

Bangladesh launched its nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on February 7.

By Thursday, 4,218,127 people received the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The second dose has to be taken between 8 and 12 weeks of the first one.

The government is providing the vaccine for free. It signed an agreement with India's Serum Institute for acquiring 30 million doses of the vaccine.

Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports sharp rise in infections; 7 more die

The institute will provide 5 million doses every month between January and June.

Those who are 40 or above can register for getting the jab at www.surokkha.gov.bd as the on-spot registration system has been revoked.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said the age limit for getting the vaccine will be revised once more doses are available in the country.

Global Covid-19 situation

The world has crossed the grim milestone of 118 million Covid-19 cases, despite high rates of vaccination.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the total case count reached 118,625,333 while the death toll climbed to 2,630,755 on Friday.

Also read: Global Covid cases top 118 million

People in the US are getting vaccinated and the number of those is increasing day by day, but the country remains the world's worst-hit both in terms of cases and deaths.

The country has so far recorded 29,286,143 cases and 530,821 fatalities.

Brazil's death toll and caseload now stand at 272,889 and 11,277,717, according to Johns Hopkins.

Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll, after the US, and the third-largest caseload after the US and India.

India recorded 11,308,846 Covid-19 cases until early Friday while the death toll from the virus crossed 158,306.