India reported another 132,364 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, a declining trend with recoveries exceeding new cases this week, and prompting several state governments to ease some of the restrictions. The latest update from the Health Ministry on Friday raised the nation’s total to more than 28.6 million, the second-highest in the world after the United States. The ministry said 2,713 more people died in the past 24 hours, driving the overall toll to 340,702. These numbers are certain undercounts. The ministry also said India’s recovery rate has neared 93.80% after 207,071 people recovered Thursday, exceeding the number of newly infected. Also read: India's COVID-19 tally rises to 28,441,986 Cases have also sharply dropped in New Delhi. On Friday, it recorded 487 new infections, the lowest in more than two months. There are less than 9.000 active cases in the capital now. The decline in daily confirmed infections has prompted state governments, like New Delhi and Maharashtra, to announce measures to exit lockdowns. The western state of Maharashtra, home to financial hub Mumbai, is planning to lift most restrictions across half of its districts this month, officials said. New Delhi has already reopened manufacturing and construction activity. Much of the country is still under some form of a shutdown, with many industries and businesses unable to resume work. Schools and most businesses remain closed. Also read: US unveils strategy for global vaccine sharing with Bangladesh, India on list Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to speed up vaccinations. India has administered just over 220 million jabs so far and less than 5% of the country has been fully vaccinated.

Bangladesh recorded 34 more coronavirus-related deaths and some 2,000 new cases as the country continues to grapple with the pandemic situation. Health authorities detected 1,988 new cases after testing 20,259 samples during the period. The number of sample tests has increased over the past one week. With the new cases, the total caseload rose to 8,04,293, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read: WHO validates Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use The new deaths pushed up the death toll to 12,694. The daily infection rate increased to 9.81 percent from Tuesday’s 9.47 percent, while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58 percent. The country has so far tested 59,86,022 samples. Read:India to start trials on safety, efficacy of mixing Covid vaccine doses Among the deceased, 11 died in Dhaka division while five each in Khulna, Chattogram and Rajshahi divisions, 3 each in Sylhet and Rangpur and one in Barishal division. Bangladesh reported its first Coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.     

As Bangladesh’s fight to stem Covid-19 continues, it recorded 1,710 new cases in 24 hours until Monday morning, raising the total caseload to 8,00,540.   During the period, the deadly virus also claimed 36 more lives.    With the fresh death toll, the total number of fatalities rose to 12,619.   Read:Local admins can enforce lockdown, says Cabinet Secretary The new cases of infections were detected after carrying out 18, 178 sample tests, said the Directorate General of Health Services in a handout.   The positivity rate dropped to 9.41% from Sunday’s 10.11% while the death rate remained static at 1.58%.   Until now, 7,40,372 people recovered from the virus putting the country’s recovery rate at 92.48%.   The country has so far completed testing 5,947,513 samples.   Among the deceased, 12 are from Chattogram and eight from Dhaka divisions.  Besides, nine died in Rajshahi, six in Khulna and one in Sylhet divisions from Covid-19.    Bangladesh reported its first Coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the18th of that month.    Read:Lockdown in Chapainawabganj extended for another week Border closure continues Bangladesh on Sunday announced an extension of border closure with India by another two weeks from June 1 to June 14 as the coronavirus situation hardly shows any sign of improvement. The border with India will remain closed till June 14 but the movement of cargo-carrying goods will remain uninterrupted. "We've extended it (border closure) for 14 more days and will evaluate the situation further," a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB on Sunday.    Bangladesh decided to close its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo on April 26 which was later extended till May 31 to control the spread of Coronavirus as the situation in the neighbouring country deteriorated. The cross-border movement of people between Bangladesh and India has remained suspended since then. Bangladesh confirmed its first case of the Indian Coronavirus variant on May 8 this year. Lockdown in Chapainawabganj extended   The local administration has extended the ongoing lockdown in Chapainawabganj for another week due to the worsening Covid-19 situation.   The restriction will remain in force from June 1 to June 7, said Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Manjurul Hafiz at a press briefing at his office on Monday noon.   Read: Global Covid-19 cases cross 170 million mark Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s ongoing lockdown period has been extended another week until June 6 to control the virus. Besides, district administrations have been given the authority to enforce lockdown in their areas if the Covid-19 situation deteriorates there, the cabinet secretary said on Monday.

Covid-19 has so far infected over 166.4 million people across the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU). As per the data, the total caseload around the globe reached 166, 438,026 while the death toll from the virus stood at 3,449,399 as of Sunday morning. Some 1,632, 929,763 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered during the mass inoculation drive till date. The US, which remains the world’s worst hit country, has registered 33,103,118 cases while the death toll from the virus reached 589,670 until Sunday morning. New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe Covid-19 cases and the spread of the virus, reports AP. As cases, hospitalisations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. India, which has been experiencing the staggering situation of Covid-19 cases for the last few months, has recorded 26,289,290 cases with 295,515 fatalities. Brazil reported on Saturday 1,899 more deaths from Covid-19, raising the national count to 448,208, the Ministry of Health said. Also read: US civil rights leader urges Biden To give 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to India A total of 76,490 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,047,439, the ministry said. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged 38 more coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning, taking the country's fatalities to 12,348. The daily infection rate rose to 8.41% from Friday's 7.22%, said the Directorate General of Health Services. Meanwhile, 1,028 new cases were reported after testing 12,230 samples. Bangladesh has so far reported 787,726 coronavirus cases. Also read: India to begin clinical trials for Covd-19 vaccine in children Vaccination drive Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute. The administration of the first dose has remained suspended since April 26. Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India. In the past 24 hours, no one received the first dose of the vaccine while 41,467 have received the second dose, said the health directorate. Vaccine supply The government signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the doses uncertain. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen Friday reached out to global media to let the world know that Bangladesh is desperately looking for vaccines and ready to accept any shipment from any country. "A large number of people in Bangladesh, who took the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca, could not get the second dose because we have run out of supplies," the minister said. In response to Bangladesh’s request, China on Friday said it will send the second batch of 600,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine as a gift. The foreign minister on Thursday said the government was making its best efforts to get vaccines from multiple countries – the US, China, Canada, Russia and the UK – apart from its continuous request to India to meet Bangladesh's urgent needs. Bangladesh received 500,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine as a gift on May 12. The administering of the shots will begin by May 25-26, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque. Also, the country would receive a minimum of 106,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine under the COVAX scheme, co-led by Gavi, Maleque said on May 18. Besides, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Wednesday approved a proposal of the Health Services Division to import the Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.

Bangladesh on Tuesday crossed the grim milestone of 12,000 coronavirus fatalities, nearly 15 months after reporting the first death in March last year. With 33 latest fatalities in 24 hours until morning, the death tally soared to 12,005. The country has been seeing below 60 daily deaths for a week after recording over 100 fatalities on several occasions last month. However, the mortality rate rose to 1.55 percent after staying at 1.54 for four days, according to a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Besides, 1,230 new cases were detected after testing of 14,184 samples, pushing up the caseload to 776,257. Bangladesh has so far carried out 5,661,926 tests. The daily infection rate fell slightly to 8.67 percent from Monday’s 8.99 percent. Also read: Ready to offer more support if Covid situation deteriorates in Bangladesh: China After a massive upsurge in April, the number of daily cases fell below 2,000 since May 1. However, the number of tests, as well as new cases, has declined from May 4, according to corona.gov.bd.

Across the border from a devastating surge in India, doctors in Nepal warned Friday of a major crisis as daily coronavirus cases hit a record and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. Nepal reported 9,070 new confirmed cases on Thursday, compared to 298 a month ago. The number of fatalities also reached its highest with 58 on Wednesday and 54 on Thursday, for a total of 3,529. “Right now there are no beds available today in any hospital that is treating COVID patients,” said Dr. Jyotindra Sharma, chief of Hospital for Advanced Medicine & Surgery in Kathmandu. “Even if any beds were made available, there is a huge scarcity of oxygen and we are not at the peak of this crisis.” At the hospital, one of the leading facilities in Nepal for treating COVID-19 patients, extra beds were crammed to accommodate more people. They’ve all been taken and the only way to get admitted is through a waiting list. ADVERTISEMENT     “In the extreme situation, people could be dying in the streets,” Sharma said, adding it’s “just not possible to immediately increase the capacity of the hospitals.” At the government-run Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, several COVID-19 patients were lying in beds set up on the veranda and hooked to oxygen cylinder. They’re the lucky ones. Others were turned away because there’s not enough space or equipment. “We are under-prepared, under-resourced, and under-capacitated to perform any thing that is expected,” said Dr. Bishal Dhakal, who has been working with coronavirus patients since the beginning of the pandemic. A lockdown was imposed last month in major cities and towns, and Nepal this week stopped both domestic and international flights. The government has pledged several times to increase the number of hospital beds and boost the treatment and preventive measures. However, there has not been any significant change. Nepal began its vaccination campaign in January with 1 million doses of the AstraZeneca shots donated by India, but it had been suspended because of India’s refusal to allow exports as its crisis worsened. The vaccination resumed when China donated 800,000 doses, and Nepal is negotiating with Russia for supplies of the Sputnik V shots.

The UK will send medical equipment to India as the latter continues to suffer from a record surge in coronavirus cases, the British government announced Sunday, reported Anadolu Agency. India set a new global record for daily coronavirus cases for the fourth day in a row on Sunday. There were 349,691 new cases, taking the total to 16.96 million. Only the US has had more overall cases. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been due to visit India this week but cancelled his trip due to the surge in coronavirus cases there. In a statement, he said: "We stand side by side with India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning time in the fight against COVID-19.” "Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus. "We will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this difficult time, and I'm determined to make sure that the UK does everything it can to support the international community in the global fight against pandemic," he added. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: "Today we have sent the first of several urgent deliveries of surplus medical equipment to our friends in India to help provide life-saving care for vulnerable Covid patients. No-one is safe until we are all safe." India is also suffering from acute shortages of oxygen. The first shipment of medical supplies from the UK will arrive in India on Tuesday morning. The nine airplane container loads include 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators. Further shipments of British medical supplies to India will also be sent. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The heart-breaking scenes in India show once again how awful this terrible disease is.” "We are determined to support the people of India through this very difficult time, and I am hugely grateful to those who have worked hard to make this initial delivery happen. "This first delivery of life saving equipment will provide much needed assistance and we stand ready to do more." Meanwhile, the UK reported its lowest number of daily coronavirus cases since early September as Britain’s successful vaccination programme continues to prevent a surge of infections despite loosening lockdown measures.

Amid an alarming surge in Covid-19 cases, Bangladesh recorded 5,683 fresh cases and 58 deaths in the last 24 hours until Saturday morning. The health authorities recorded over 5000 Covid cases on March 29, 30 and 31 while over 6000 cases on April 1 and 2. The infection rate slightly fell to 23.15 percent from 23.28 percent on Friday when the country recorded 6,830 cases, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. On Thursday, the number of new cases was 6,469 and on Wednesday, the number was 5,358. The number of daily cases and infection rate dropped below 5 percent earlier this year but then infections continue to rise again amid people’s reluctance to maintain health safety rules. Hospitals are struggling to provide treatment to the increasing coronavirus patients with their limited resources. The government is increasing the number of beds and Covid-designated hospitals to deal with the situation. Bangladesh has so far recorded 630,277 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). During the 24-hour period until Saturday morning, 2,364 patients recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 549,775. Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8 last year and confirmed the first death from the virus 10 days later. The country has so far tested 4,752,661 samples, including 24,100 in the last 24 hours, the DGHS said. Meanwhile, the fatalities rose to 9,213 with the new deaths. The mortality rate fell to 1.46 on Saturday from Friday’s 1.47 percent. Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in January this year, 281 in February and 638 in March. Among the latest victims, 39 died in Dhaka division, 12 in Chattogram, One each in Rangpur and Mymensingh, three in Khulna and two in Barishal division. So far, 5,267 coronavirus patients died in Dhaka division, 1,664 in Chattogram, 508 in Rajshahi, 592 in Khulna, 276 in Barishal, 327 in Sylhet, 377 in Rangpur and 202 in Mymensingh divisions. So far 6,925 men (75.17) and 2,288 women (24.83) died of Covid-19. Also read: Govt to enforce 7-day lockdown from Monday: Quader Govt set to impose ‘lockdown’ On Saturday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government is set to announce a seven-day lockdown from Monday to stem the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said the decision for a countrywide lockdown for seven days would come within “two to three days”. In a video message, he said the institutions providing emergency services would be open during the lockdown. “Industries and factories will remain open too,” he said. “Workers will have to follow health guidelines and work in shifts (during that period).” Also read: Restriction on gatherings, quarantine rule among PMO’s 18-point directive to contain Covid surge Govt strengthens protective steps The daily surge prompted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to issue an 18-point directive on March 29 to prevent the virus’ transmission. On the same day, the Health Ministry proposed strict measures like partial lockdowns for some places with higher Covid-19 transmission rates. Vaccination drive The government launched a countrywide vaccination campaign on February 7 with doses received from the Serum Institute of India. Bangladesh inked an agreement with Serum in December last year for 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Serum is supposed to supply the doses between January and June this year – 5 million each month. Also read: Global Covid cases top 130 million Global situation Coronavirus cases were first reported in China in December 2019. The world hit another grim Covid-19 milestone on Saturday, as the total caseload surpassed 130 million and 2.8 million deaths so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. A number of vaccines have been developed to fight the virus. Most notable of them are those made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca.

Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed on Thursday announced launching a special programme to encourage people to maintain health safety rules to contain the pandemic.

Over 111 million people have been infected with Covid-19 across the globe until Monday, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).