Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed the lives of 67 people in 24 hours until Saturday morning, the highest daily deaths in 48 days.

The country last recorded 69 deaths on May 2 this year.

Meanwhile, 3,057 new infections were detected after testing 16,964 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHs).

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With these, the country's death toll rose to 13,466 while the caseload to 848,027.

However, the positivity rate slightly fell to 18.02% from Friday’s 18.59% while the death rate remained static at 1.59%, shows the DGHS handout.

Friday’s positivity rate was the highest in two months.

The recovery rate from the infection fell to 92% from Friday’s 92.12% following a downward trend for a week as the country sees a surge in the number of Covid cases and deaths again.

Of the deceased, 34 were male and 33 were female.

Of them, 24 died in Khulna division alone while 14 in Dhaka, 11 in Chattogram, eight in Rajshahi and one in Sylhet divisions.

Khuna district on Saturday announced a weeklong tough lockdown from June 22 to fight the alarming rise in Covid infections.

Most of the bordering district administrations are now announcing either partial or full district-based lockdowns in an effort to control the Covid surge.

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Bangladesh rolls out Sinopharm vaccine

Bangladesh on Saturday started administering Sinopharm vaccine doses across the country, aiming to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The vaccination started in the capital and elsewhere of the country with 11 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine gifted by China, said the DGHS.

The vaccine doses are being administered at four hospitals in Dhaka district -- Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Hospital, and Mughda Medical College and Hospital.

Health workers and police personnel, students of government and private medical and dental colleges, students of government institutes of nursing and midwifery, residents of dormitories of public universities, officers and employees working in important national projects, expatriate workers, cleaners, those who are engaged in burial and those who were excluded from vaccination earlier and citizens of other countries who are working here will be vaccinated on a priority basis.

A consignment of 600,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm jabs arrived here on June 13, nine days after the arrival of the first batch of 500,000 doses gifted by Beijing.

Bangladesh also received 100,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on June 1.

Also read: A battle for breath in Khulna as Covid cases surge

Vaccination Update

The country is now administering the 1st doses of Sinopharm vaccine and the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

So far 2,956 people received the first dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, including 764 in the past 24 hours.

Of the Astrazeneca vaccine, 4,266,951 people received the second shot and 5,820,015 the first one so far.