COVID-19 deaths
Global Covid cases near 260 million
The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 260 million amid the global race to vaccinate masses against the infectious disease.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 259,944,766 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,181,033, Friday morning.
The US has recorded 48,126,373 cases to date and more than 775,785 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,055,608 cases as of Thursday, while its Covid death toll rose to 613,697.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,546,926 on Thursday, as 9,119 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Also read: Covid: WHO warns of 700,000 more deaths in Europe by March
Besides, 396 deaths due to the pandemic since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 466,980.
The World Health Organization’s Europe office says projections show its 53-country region could face another 700,000 deaths in the pandemic by next spring, topping two million in total, reports AP.
WHO Europe, which is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, also cited growing evidence of a decline in protection against infection and mild disease through vaccines, and said a “booster dose” should be given as a priority to the most vulnerable populations -- including people with weakened immune systems -- as well as people over age 60 and healthcare workers.
The UN health agency’s international headquarters in Geneva, however, has repeatedly called for a moratorium on the use of boosters through year-end so that doses can be made available for many developing countries that have faced a severe lack of the Covid vaccines compared to the rich world.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported nine more Covid-linked deaths and 237 fresh cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
With this, the daily case positivity rate declined to 1.25 percent on Thursday from Wednesday’s 1.49 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: Covid kills 9 more in Bangladesh, infects another 237
On Wednesday, the country reported three Covid-related deaths for the second day in a row, along with 312 fresh cases
With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 27,970 while the caseload mounted to 1,575,184.
Among the latest deceased, three were men and six women. Six of them were from Dhaka division, while one each was from Chattogram, Khulna and Rangpur divisions.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 percent.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 18,888 samples, the directorate said.
Besides, the recovery rate stood at 97.74 percent with the recovery of 360 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On Saturday, Bangladesh logged zero Covid-linked deaths with 178 cases.
So far, 35,690,258 people have fully been vaccinated in the country, while 57,124,899 received the first dose as of Wednesday, according to the directorate.
Bangladesh gets close to zero Covid-linked death
Bangladesh reported just one Covid-related death from Dhaka division and reported 237 fresh infections in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
On November 6, the country saw another single death from Covid-19 which was the lowest in nearly 18 months along with 154 cases.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate slightly declined to 1.21 per cent from Wednesday’s 1.31 per cent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)
The fresh numbers took the total fatalities to 27,907 while the country’s caseload mounted to 1,571,906, said the DGHS.
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The one who died during the period was a man.
Of the fresh cases, 188 were detected from Dhaka division while the other divisions logged 49 Covid-19 infections.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 per cent.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 19,544 samples, said the DGHS.
Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.71 per cent with the recovery of 231 more patients during the period.
Also read: Two Bangladeshi companies get DGDA nod for marketing oral Covid drug
So far, 32,259,705 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 50,151,447received the first dose as of Wednesday, according to the DGHS.
Bangladesh logs another 3 Covid-related deaths, 197 fresh infections
The Covid-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh decreased with health authorities reporting three more deaths and 197 infections in 24 hours till Friday morning.
The daily-case positivity rate slightly decreased to 1.12 per cent from Thursday’s 1.32 per cent.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 per cent.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 17,446 samples, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Bangladesh logs another 7 Covid-linked deaths, 247 fresh infections
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,890 while the caseload climbed to 15,70,681, according to the DGHS.
Also, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.70 per cent with the recovery of 178 more patients during the period.
So far, 30,208,700 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 43,101,199 received the first dose as of Wednesday, according to the DGHS.
Read: Possible winter wave of Covid: What measures experts suggest to tackle it
Meanwhile, the campaign to vaccinate the school students of the 12-17 age group began in Dhaka on Monday.
The vaccination campaign will be conducted at eight centres in the capital although it was scheduled to begin at 12 centres in the city. Other centres did not get approval due to lack of adequate facilities.
Russia hits another virus death record as infections soar
Russia on Friday recorded another daily record of coronavirus deaths as authorities hoped to stem the contagion by keeping most people off work.
The government’s coronavirus task force reported 1,163 deaths in 24 hours, the largest daily number since the pandemic began. That brought Russia's official total to 236,220 deaths, by far the highest in Europe.
The task force counts only deaths directly caused by the virus. The state statistics service Rosstat, which counts COVID-19 deaths by wider criteria, released figures Friday indicating a much higher toll.
Rosstat counted 44.265 deaths in September caused directly by the virus, or in which it was a contributing cause or of patients believed to have been infected. That would bring Russia's pandemic-long death toll to about 461,000 as of the end of September, nearly twice the task force's count.
Also Read:Dual disaster management during COVID-19 pandemic underscored
Either death figure places Russia among the worst-hit nations in the world during the pandemic.
To contain the spread of infection, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a nonworking period from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7, when most state agencies and private businesses are to suspend operations. He encouraged Russia’s worst-hit regions to start sooner, and some ordered most residents off work earlier this week.
Moscow introduced the measure beginning Thursday, shutting down kindergartens, schools, gyms, entertainment venues and most stores, and restricting restaurants to takeout or delivery. Food stores, pharmacies and companies operating key infrastructure remained open.
Access to museums, theaters, concert halls and other venues in Russia is limited to people holding digital codes on their phones to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, a practice that will remain after Nov. 7. Unvaccinated people older than 60 have been ordered to stay home.
The number of new daily cases in Russia rose by 39,849 on Friday, just below the all-time record reported the previous day. The government hopes that by keeping most people out of offices and public transportation, the nonworking period will help curb the spread of the virus, but many Russians rushed to use the time off for a seaside Black Sea vacation or to take a trip to Egypt or Turkey.
Also Read:How virtual galleries kept Indian art alive amid Covid
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova, the head of the government coronavirus task force, voiced concern about a spike in beach vacations.
“We are particularly worried about our citizens booking tourist trips to other regions,” she said.
Authorities have blamed soaring infections and deaths on Russia’s lagging pace of vaccinations. About 51 million Russians — just over a third of the country’s nearly 146 million people — were fully vaccinated as of Friday.
Russia was the first country in the world to authorize a coronavirus vaccine in August 2020 and proudly named the shot Sputnik V to showcase the country’s scientific edge. But the vaccination campaign has stalled amid widespread public skepticism blamed on conflicting signals from authorities.
Bangladesh reports 7 more Covid deaths, 305 fresh cases
Covid-19 killed seven more people and infected 305 more in 24 hours till Friday morning.
The daily-case positivity rate increased to 1.71 per cent from Thursday’s 1.50 per cent.
Read:Merck agrees to let other drug makers make its COVID pill
The fresh cases were detected after testing 17,811 samples, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,847 while the caseload climbed to 15,69,162 in Bangladesh, according to the DGHS.
Among the latest deaths, four were men and three women.
Read:Global Covid cases top 245 million
The mortality rate slightly increased to 1.78 from that of Thursday’s 1.77 per cent.
The recovery rate decreased slightly to 97.69 per cent, with 271 more patients getting cured.
Covid in Bangladesh: Six more lives lost in 24 hours
Covid-19 in Bangladesh claimed six more lives and infected another 293 people in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
The daily-case positivity rate dropped to 1.88 per cent today declining slightly from Friday’s 2.09 per cent.
It is the lowest daily cases logged in the country since May 15 when 261 people contracted the virus in a single day.
Also read: Covid-linked deaths in Bangladesh fall to 7
On October 14, Bangladesh logged seven Covid-related deaths.
With the fresh numbers, the Covid fatalities reached 27,752 today while the caseload climbed to 1,565,174, according to the Directorate General of the Health services (DGHS).
Of the latest deceased, four were men and two were women.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent.
Also read: Covid-19: 9 more deaths in Bangladesh
Besides, the recovery rate increased slightly to 97.58 per cent, with 442 more patients getting cured during the period.
So far, 1,527,333people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
Covid-19: 9 more deaths in Bangladesh
Covid-19 claimed nine more lives in Bangladesh and infected 396 others in 24 hours till Friday morning.
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,746 in the country while the caseload rose to 15,64,881, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:FDA panel endorses lower-dose Moderna COVID shot for booster
Of the latest deceased, five were women and four men.
Six of them died in Dhaka division, two in Chattogram and one in Sylhet divisions.
Bangladesh last logged seven Covid-19 deaths on October 8, the lowest since March 17 this year when the country recorded 11 such deaths.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 18,980 samples.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate declined slightly to 2.09 per cent. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent.
Read: Covid-19: 17 more die, 518 infected in Bangladesh
Besides, the recovery rate increased slightly to 97.57 per cent, with 523 more patients getting cured during the period.
So far, 15,26,891 people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
Global Covid cases exceed 239 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has crossed the 239 million-mark even though mass vaccination is underway in many countries of the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 239,573,207 while the death tally from the virus reached 4, 881,197 on Friday morning.
The US has recorded 44,766, 965 cases to date and more than 721,562 people have died so far from the virus in the country as per the university data.
Also read: India's Everest Organics starts making ingredient for Merck's COVID-19 pill
Brazil, which has the world's second-highest death toll from COVID-19 behind the United States, saw its death toll exceed 600,000 a week before.
The South American country has registered 21,612,237 cases as of Thursday, while its Covid death toll has risen to 602,201.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,036,687 on Thursday as 17,004new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry.
Besides, 378 deaths were reported across the country in the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 451,847.
Situation in Bangladesh
Covid-19 claimed 7 more lives in Bangladesh and infected 466 others in 24 hours till Thursday morning.
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,737 in the country while the caseload rose to 15,64,485, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Of the latest deceased, four were women and three men.
Also read: Covid-linked deaths in Bangladesh fall to 7
Three of them died in Dhaka division, two in Chattogram and one each in Khulna and Barishal divisions.
Bangladesh last logged seven Covid-19 deaths on October 8, the lowest since March 17 this year when the country recorded 11 such deaths.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 21,568 samples.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate declined slightly to 2.16% percent. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77%.
Besides, the recovery rate increased slightly to 97.56 %, with 695 more patients getting cured during the period.
So far, 15,26,368 people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
Covid in Bangladesh: 14 more killed, 543 others infected
Covid-19 claimed 14 more lives in Bangladesh and infected 543 others in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the fresh numbers, the Covid-19 fatalities reached 27,713 in Bangladesh while the caseload mounted to 15,63,501, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Finally, Covid jabs reach remote riverine islands of Kurigram
Of the latest deceased, four were women and 10 men. Six of them died in Dhaka division, four in Chattogram, two in Khulna and one each in Barishal and Rangpur divisions.
Bangladesh logged seven Covid-19 deaths on October 8, the lowest since March 17 this year when the country recorded 11 such deaths.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 22,924 samples.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate decreased slightly to 2.35% percent from Monday’s 2.58%, said the DGHS.
Bangladesh recorded below 3% daily-positivity rate in February this year. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77%.
Read:Vaccination campaign for school students to begin within a week: DGHS chief
However, the recovery rate increased slightly to 97.55% with 701 more patients getting cured during the period from Monday’s 97.53%.
So far, 15,25,168 people have recovered from the deadly virus infections, the DGHS added.
‘Soul-crushing’: US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans.
The increasingly lethal turn has filled hospitals, complicated the start of the school year, delayed the return to offices and demoralized health care workers.
“It is devastating,” said Dr. Dena Hubbard, a pediatrician in the Kansas City, Missouri, area who has cared for babies delivered prematurely by cesarean section in a last-ditch effort to save their mothers, some of whom died. For health workers, the deaths, combined with misinformation and disbelief about the virus, have been “heart-wrenching, soul-crushing.”
Twenty-two people died in one week alone at CoxHealth hospitals in the Springfield-Branson area, a level almost as high as that of all of Chicago. West Virginia has had more deaths in the first three weeks of September — 340 — than in the previous three months combined. Georgia is averaging 125 dead per day, more than California or other more populous states.
“I’ve got to tell you, a guy has got to wonder if we are ever going to see the end of it or not,” said Collin Follis, who is the coroner in Missouri’s Madison County and works at a funeral home.
Read:Biden aims to enlist allies in tackling climate, COVID, more
The nation was stunned back in December when it was witnessing 3,000 deaths a day. But that was when almost no one was vaccinated.
Now, nearly 64% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And yet, average deaths per day have climbed 40% over the past two weeks, from 1,387 to 1,947, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Health experts say the vast majority of the hospitalized and dead have been unvaccinated. While some vaccinated people have suffered breakthrough infections, those tend to be mild.
The number of vaccine-eligible Americans who have yet to get a shot has been put at more than 70 million.
“There is a very real risk you’ll end up in the hospital or even in the obituary pages,” Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, said to the unvaccinated. “Don’t become a statistic when there is a simple, safe and effective alternative to go out today and get vaccinated.”
Many low-vaccination communities also have high rates of conditions like obesity and diabetes, said Dr. William Moss of Johns Hopkins. And that combination — along with the more contagious delta variant — has proved lethal.
Read:Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
“I think this is a real failure of society and our most egregious sin to be at this stage where we have hospitals overwhelmed, ICUs overwhelmed and hitting this mark in terms of deaths per day,” Moss lamented.
New cases of the coronavirus per day in the U.S. have dropped since the start of September and are now running at about 139,000. But deaths typically take longer to fall because victims often linger for weeks before succumbing.
In Kansas, 65-year-old cattleman Mike Limon thought he had beaten COVID-19 and went back to work for a few days. But the virus had “fried” his lungs and he died last week, said his grandson, Cadin Limon, 22, of Wichita.
He said his grandfather didn’t get vaccinated for fear of a bad reaction, and he hasn’t gotten the shot either for the same reason, though serious side effects have proved extremely rare.
He described his grandfather as a “man of faith.”
“Sixty-five is still pretty young,” the young man said. “I know that. It seems sudden and unexpected, but COVID didn’t surprise God. His death wasn’t a surprise to God. The God I serve is bigger than that.”
Cases are falling in West Virginia from pandemic highs, but deaths and hospitalizations are expected to continue increasing for as many as six more weeks, said retired National Guard Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, who leads the state’s coronavirus task force.
Dr. Greg Martin, who is president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and practices mostly at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, said the staff is buckling under the strain.
Read:COVID has killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu
“I think everyone in 2020 thought we would get through this. No one really thought that we would still be seeing this the same way in 2021,” he said.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon activated the state’s National Guard on Tuesday to provide assistance to hospitals dealing with a surge of COVID-19 patients.
In Oklahoma, Hillcrest South Hospital in Tulsa is among several medical centers around the country to add temporary morgues. Deaths are at an all-time high there, at three to four times the number it would see in a non-COVID-19 world, said Bennett Geister, hospital CEO.
He said the staff there, too, is worn out.
“They didn’t sign up to be ICU nurses only to have people pass away on them,” he said. “They signed up to be ICU nurses to take people to recovery and heal people from the brink of death.”