Also read: Bangladesh bets big on Covid vaccines 

The US remained the worst-hit country, with 409,877 deaths and 24,619,597 cases. In late 2020, the coronavirus pandemic entered its deadliest phase yet in the United States, reports Associated Press.

Mexico, meanwhile, has posted new one-day highs for the pandemic, with 22,339 newly confirmed coronavirus infections and 1,803 deaths related to Covid-19.

Mexico has recorded over 1.71 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 146,000 deaths since the pandemic began. However, official estimates suggest the real death toll is closer to 195,000.

 Also read:Covid-19 vaccine not a 'silver bullet': WHO 

Public health experts Thursday blamed Covid vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people aged 65 and above.

The push that began over a week ago has not been accompanied by enough doses to meet demand, according to state and local officials, leading to frustration and confusion and limiting states’ ability to attack the outbreak that has killed over 400,000 Americans.

Over the past few days, authorities in California, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Hawaii warned that their supplies were running out. New York City began cancelling or postponing shots or stopped making new appointments because of the shortages, which President Joe Biden has vowed to turn around. 

Florida’s top health official said the state would deal with the scarcity by restricting vaccines to state residents, the AP report says.

Also read:When can actually Bangladesh avail of Covid-19 vaccine?

In Brazil, the death toll from Covid-19 stood at 214,147 with  8,697,368 cases, as of Friday morning.

India’s total caseload reached 10,610,883, while the death toll surpassed 152,869, JHU data showed.

South Korea is reporting its smallest daily increase in coronavirus infections in two months as officials express cautious hope that the country is beginning to wiggle out from its worst wave of the pandemic, reports AP.

The 346 new cases reported Friday brought the national caseload to 74,262. There have been 1,328 deaths related to Covid-19.

Situation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s Covid-19 fatalities rose to 7,966 on Thursday after the health authorities confirmed 16 more coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours until morning.

Also read:Is Bangladesh ready to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine?

The caseload reached 530,271, with the detection of 584 new cases.

Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18. So far, 3,515,428 samples have been tested -- 14,797 in the past 24 hours.

A handout from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the daily detection rate was 3.96 percent while the overall rate was 15.08 percent.

Also read:Covid-19 vaccines: Bangladesh has 'limited choices'

Until the morning, 475,074 patients (89.59 percent) have recovered.

“The mortality rate is 1.5 percent,” the DGHS said.