COVID
Covid claims 51 more lives in Khulna division, another 1,345 infected
Fifty one more people have died of Covid-19 in different districts of Khulna division in the past 24 hours until Sunday morning, health officials said.
According to the health director's office, another 1,345 people have tested positive with Covid-19 during the period.
Khulna has emerged as one of the fast spreading hotspot of coronavirus in June and July as number of cases and deaths has been increasing every day.
Also read: Covid: Khulna division sees 40 more deaths in a day
On Saturday, 539 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the division and 40 deaths were reported.
With the fresh numbers, the total death toll in the division has crossed 1,895, said the health officials.
Some 81,421 cases have been detected in 10 districts of the division since the onset of Covid, of which 53,323 patients have recovered so far.
Also read: Khulna division logs 47 Covid deaths
In Khulna division, the first case of Covid was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020.
48 more dengue cases reported in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 48 more dengue cases in 24 hours until Saturday morning.
The recent spike in dengue cases has added to the worries as the country continues to grapple with the devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some 179 patients diagnosed with dengue are currently receiving treatment at different government and private hospitals across the country as of Saturday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: 36 more dengue cases reported in 24 hrs
Of them, one patient is receiving treatment at a hospital outside Dhaka.
All the new patients were reported to have admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka, and no one was said to be hospitalized outside Dhaka during the period.
So far, 673 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 494 of them have been released after recovery.
The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020.
According to official figures, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.
Also read: DSCC drive: Aedes larvae found in 5 buildings including DOM-INNO’s
Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000 when it claimed 93 lives. In the following three years, the fatalities almost fell to zero.
However, the mosquito-borne viral infection struck again in 2018, killing 26, and infecting 10,148 people.
Bangladesh in grip of Covid’s wave; sees record 212 deaths
Bangladesh on Friday saw 212 Covid-19 deaths, the highest number since the pandemic hit the country, amid a strict nationwide lockdown in effect since July 1.
Also, Covid-19 infections in the country are at their peak now, with 9,665 new cases reported each day – the highest daily average.
The country recorded 11,324 infections in 24 hours till Friday morning after testing 36,850 samples.
Bangladesh reported its highest daily Covid-19 fatality of 201 on Wednesday and 11, 651 cases on Thursday.
The country is in the grip of a second wave of the coronavirus that is threatening to overwhelm its health service.
Also read: Dhaka reemerging as Covid hotspot as battle plan ‘fails’: Experts
There have been 1,000,543 infections and 16,004 coronavirus-related deaths in Bangladesh since the pandemic began, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
However, the test positivity rate dropped to 14.49%. The daily positivity rate of 31.62% on Thursday raised concerns among experts as the World Health Organization recommended a 5% or below rate.
Meanwhile, the death rate remains unchanged at 1.60%, and the recovery rate dropped to 86.19%.
Khulna division reported the highest 79 deaths, Dhaka 53, Chattogram 26, Rajshahi 23, Rangpur 12, Mymensingh eight, Sylhet six and Barishal five.
Also read: Global Covid cases top 185 million
Hospitals are now overwhelmed with patients and struggling to cope as the country is experiencing a devastating second wave of Covid infections, driven by the Delta variant.
The Prime Minister's Office on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to increase oxygen supply and corona beds in hospitals across the country to ensure the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
So far, Bangladesh has administered at least 10,114,578 doses of Covid vaccines – enough to have vaccinated around 3.1% of the country's population, assuming every person needs two doses.
Covid claims 112 more lives in Bangladesh; positivity rate hits 23.97%
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is gradually heading towards a grim level as the country reported 112 more deaths and 7,666 fresh infections in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new infections, the country’s positivity rate reached another peak of 23.97% from Monday’s 23.86% which was recorded 23.57% last on April 9 this year.
The percentage reached this shocking level after the test of 31,982 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
New infections have been averaging 5,000 for the past few days – 75% of the peak.
Bangladesh is reporting over 100 deaths for the third consecutive day this month.
The country saw a record level of 8,436 Covid cases on Monday and the highest 119 deaths on Sunday since confirming its first cases on March 8 last year.
With the new numbers, the country’s death toll now stands at 14,388 while the caseload at 904,436.
However, the country’s fatality rate remained static at 1.59% while the recovery rate fell to 89.75% following a continuous drop.
Read: Massive vaccination to begin in July: PM
Of the deaths, 35 were reported in Khulna today, recording the highest among all divisions for the third consecutive day, while 22 in Dhaka, 21 in Rajshahi, 16 in Chattogram, 10 in Rangpur, four in Mymensingh, three in Barishal and one in Sylhet divisions.
The Dhaka division remained the highest fatal region recording 7,562 deaths followed by Chattogram with 2,727 deaths, Khulna with 1,235 deaths and Rajshahi with 1,011 deaths.
No lockdown for health sector: Minister
There will be no lockdown for the health sector in Bangladesh as the number of Covid patients is increasing day by day, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday.
Talking to reporters at the Secretariat, he also said there would be police, BGB and army members on the streets to monitor people and vehicles during the lockdown to be enforced to slow down the coronavirus transmission.
Also read: Export oriented factories to remain open amid ‘strict lockdown’
The minister hoped that people across the country would abide by the health guidelines by wearing masks, maintaining social distance and sanitizing hands.
Also read: Health minister hopes to get 11 crore vaccine doses by December
Already, 5,000 to 6,000 Covid patients have been admitted to hospitals across the country, the minister said, adding: "We’ve got a very large population. If we want to protect that population from infections, we must follow the health protocols."
Zahid Maleque said the country’s economy would suffer badly if the coronavirus is not effectively controlled.
Also read: Nationwide lockdown from Monday, 'all out lockdown’ from July 1
The government is set to enforce a nationwide partial lockdown from Monday and it will turn into a complete one from Thursday.
Over 100 contract Covid in Thakurgaon, two more die
Amid the strict restrictions imposed to break the chain of infection in the district, some 100 more people have tested positive for Covid in 24 hours. Two more persons have also died of Covid, health officials said Friday.
A 75-year-old man succumbed to coronavirus at a hospital in Pirganj, a 45-year-old woman died at a medical facility in Ranishankail, according to officials.
On the other hand, 101 new cases were detected after testing 209 samples on Thursday, raising the district’s positivity rate to 48.32%, according to the district’s health division.
Also read: Thakurgaon records highest single-day rise in Covid cases at 109
Of them, 57 people are fom Sadar upazila, 11 from RaniShankail, 12 from Baliadangi, 14 from Pirganj and seven are from Haripur, said Civil Surgeon Dr Mahfuzar Rahman Sarkar.
With the new numbers, the district’s Covid caseload reached 2,821 and the death toll 65, said the Civil Surgeon.
Some 1,712 people have so far recovered from Covid in the district.
Also read: Cattle markets in Thakurgaon closed for a week due to Covid-19
Md Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of the district, said, "As some people are reluctant to follow the restrictions, mobile courts conducted across Thakurgaon have collected a fine of Tk 15,500 from 33 violators."
Covid: 77pc families in Bangladesh hit hard by first wave, says study
The first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown shoved millions of families into poverty across the world. And Bangladesh was no exception.
Between April and October last year, around 77 percent of the households in Bangladesh saw a decrease in their average monthly income and around 34 percent had at least one member who lost jobs or earning capacity, according to a new study.
To cope with the situation these families used up their savings and took loans, which led to a 62 percent decrease in the average monthly savings of these households and a 31 percent increase in debt.
The study was conducted by the Center on International Cooperation of New York University, BRAC and UN WOMEN Bangladesh on the changes in demographic, economic and social environments in the secondary towns, peri-urban (upazila) and rural areas of Bangladesh brought on by the rise in reverse migration during the pandemic.
The research findings were unveiled at a virtual international dialogue titled, 'Demographic and Socio-economic Changes induced by the Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges of New Circumstances' held recently.
Bangladesh may see dreadful Covid peak ahead of Eid, experts warn
Amid the rise in Covid cases triggered by local transmission of the Delta variant, experts predict that Bangladesh may see the peak of the current wave of the deadly virus in the third week of July next.
Using a mathematical model, Bangladesh Como Modelling Group, a panel of local and international health experts, also said the number of daily cases is likely to cross 10,000-mark in mid-July, putting a serious pressure on the country’s healthcare system.
They, however, said the severity of the virus infection and fatality rates during the probable peak on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha will depend on the effectiveness of preventive measures, management of cattle markets and control on public movement.
The experts appreciated the government’s move to isolate Dhaka from other parts of the country by suspending road, rail and waterway communications, saying that it may help slow down the virus transmission.
Prevailing situation
Bangladesh reported 20.27% positivity rate and 1.59% fatality rate on Wednesday, the highest since April 21.
DGHS spokesperson Dr Robed Amin said the Covid-19 situation has worsened in the country as the virus has been spreading fast in bordering and other areas of the country. “The number of cases and deaths are gradually rising."
He said they fear that a terrible situation lies ahead if people do not strictly maintain the health safety rules.
Robed said the virus transmission has been showing a gradual upward trend from June 16 and the death rate is now very high.
He said over 70,000 people were diagnosed with Covid this month due to the outbreak of the virus in the frontier areas.
Also read: Advisory committee suggests complete shutdown in Bangladesh for minimum 14 days
Robed said the Corona situation has deteriorated in Barishal, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh and Rangpur divisions over the last one week.
He said the virus infection has declined in Rajshahi while Sylhet is in a somewhat stable condition. “Khulna division witnessed the highest number of Covid deaths over the last one week.”
The DGHs spokesman said there are many empty beds and ICUs in government and private hospitals in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, but the picture of hospitals in border areas is different as most of them are overwhelmed.
Global Covid cases near 179 million
Covid-19 continues its onslaught across the world even with mass inoculations underway. In fact, the global corona caseload is fast nearing the 179-million mark.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 178,730,551 and 3,871,409, respectively, as of Tuesday morning. The latest figures have been released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 2,647, 610,113 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 33,554,246 cases, according to JHU.
Besides, 602,089 people have lost their lives in the US to date.
Also read: Afghanistan running out of oxygen as COVID surge worsens
Brazil is experiencing a new wave of infections in hospitals as the country has registered 899 more deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 502,817, the health ministry said Monday.
A total of 41,878 new infections were detected during the period, raising the total caseload to 17,969,806, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third-largest caseload, following the United States and India.
India, the third worst-hit country in the world in terms of fatalities, has so far recorded 29,977,861 Covid cases with 389,302 fatalities.
Also read: Over one-third people uninformed about Covid-19 vaccine registration: Study
Situation in Bangladesh
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is worsening by the day, as 78 more people died in 24 hours till Monday morning.
The country’s positivity rate hit 19.27% during the period, the highest recorded in two months.
During the period, 3,641 more Covid cases were detected after the test of 22,231 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Besides, 4,636 new cases were detected after the tests of 24,057 samples, as per the DGHS handout.
With the new numbers, the death toll in Bangladesh reached 13,626 on Monday while the caseload rose to 856,304.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh’s daily positivity rate hits 19.27%; 78 more die
Bangladesh is now administering the 1st doses of Sinopharm and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines and also the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. On the first day, 240 people received the first jab of Pfizer vaccine.
As of now, 5,225 people have received the first dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, including 1,505 in the past 24 hours.
Of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses, 4,273,325 have received the second shot and 5,820,015 the first one so far.
Covid-19: Bangladesh’s daily positivity rate hits 19.27%; 78 more die
The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is getting worse day by day as 78 more people died in 24 hours till Monday morning with its daily positivity rate hitting 19.27%, the highest in two months.
During the period, 4,636 new cases were detected after the tests of 24,057 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of the Health Services (DGHS).
With the new numbers, the death toll in Bangladesh reached 13,626 today while the caseload rose to 856,304.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.59%, said the DGHS handout.
So far, 785482 people have recovered from the virus infections taking the recovery rate to 91.73%, showing a downtrend for more than a week.
Also read: Lockdown in 7 districts from Tuesday as Covid cases soar
Of the fresh cases, 1,837 were detected in Dhaka, 945 in Khulna and 799 in Rajshahi divisions, the three regions that showed the highest infections during the 24-hour period.
Of the deceased, 23 were reported in Dhaka, 15 in Rajshahi, 14 in Khulna, 11 in Chatogram, nine in Rangpur, three in Barishal, two in Sylhet and one in Mymensingh divisions.
7 districts go under emergency lockdown
The government has announced a 9-day lockdown in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Rajbari and Gopalganj districts from Tuesday as the Covid-19 situation continues to worsen across the country.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard.
The circular said the lockdown will remain in force from 6 am on June 22 to June 30 midnight.
However, emergency services like transportation of agricultural equipment and inputs (seeds, fertilizer, insecticides, agri machinery), crops, food items, relief activities, health services, Covid-19 vaccination, water, power, gas, fire service, port activities, telephone, internet services, mass media (electronic and print), private security services, postal services and offices related to emergency services, their employees, vehicles will remain out of the purview of the restrictions, the circular added.