COVID-19 deaths
Covid-19 burials: Quantum volunteers working through this lockdown too
The Quantum Foundation, one of the voluntary organizations in the country, is actively involved in the burials of coronavirus victims, even amidst an all-out lockdown across the country.
Thousands of Quantum volunteers are working 24 hours a day or night for the burial of the deceased, regardless of religion, said a press release from Quantum Foundation.
Despite the lockdown, relentless humanitarian service activities are going on all over the country including the capital.
Khandaker Sajibul Islam, who is in charge of Quantum Burial in Kakrail, said, "We were able to bury 20 bodies of coronavirus victim in Dhaka till night on the first day of the nationwide lockdown on July 1."
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 132 more daily deaths, 8,483 cases
Quantum Foundation workers have buried nearly 4,000 bodies since 2020.
Quantum has been working for the burials of bodies with coronavirus or corona symptoms since the beginning of Corona in April, 2020.
16 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
Notwithstanding the lockdown restrictions, the frontier district of Rajshahi is witnessing a surge in Covid-19 deaths with each passing day.
In fact, Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) on Wednesday recorded 16 new Covid-related deaths in 24 hours.
Of them, eight had tested positive for Covid-19, while the remaining showed symptoms of the virus, said hospital director Brigadier General Shamim Yeazdani.
Read:13 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
Of the deceased, eight were from Rajsahi district, three from Chapainawabganj district, two each from Natore and Naogaon districts and one belonged to Jhenaidah district.
Four of the deceased were aged over 61 years, three in the age group of 51-60 years and the remaining were aged between 31 and 50 years.
A total of 245 people have died of Covid-19 at the corona unit of RMCH in the last 23 days, officials said.
Shamim said that 60 people were admitted to the corona unit of the hospital in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
Read:Lockdown in Rajshahi extended by a week
Of them, 44 people hailed from Rajshahi, six from Chapainawabganj, two from Natore, five from Naogaon, two from Pabna and one from Jhenaidah.
Some 42 people have left the hospital after recovery during this period.
Besides, 410 people are currently undergoing treatment against 357 beds at the corona unit of the hospital, as the authorities opened a 48-bed facility equipped with centralised oxygen supply on Tuesday.
Of the total patients, 20 people are undergoing treatment in the ICU.
Read: 15 more die of Covid-19 at RMCH in a single day
Meanwhile, the infection rate has further decreased in Rajshahi. On Tuesday, 457 samples were tested at two laboratories of the district, of which 151 came out positive.
Authorities have extended the ongoing lockdown in Rajshahi by one more week till June 24.
The decision to extend the lockdown to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission in the district was taken at a meeting held at Rajshahi Circuit House on June 17.
Global Covid deaths top 3.84 million
Many countries in the world are still grappling with a spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths, even with mass inoculations underway. In fact, the fatalities have now topped 3.84 million.
To be specific, the total caseload and deaths from the virus stand at 177,363,051 and 3,840,426, respectively, as of Friday morning, as per the latest data released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 2,485,778,224 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the globe, as per the university data.
Also read: Can you mix and match Covid-19 vaccines?
The US has logged 33,508,737 cases and 600,937 deaths to date, according to the university. The death toll in the United States is the highest in the world.
Brazil on Thursday registered 2,335 more deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours, pushing up the national fatality toll to 496,172.
A total of 74,337 new infections were detected during the period, raising the total caseload to 17,704,041, the federal health 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.
Besides, India's total Covid tally reached 29,762,793 on Friday morning, while the death toll in the country surpassed 383,582.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Thursday morning recorded 63 more Covid-related deaths and 3,840 new cases in 24 hours, showing signs of deterioration in the country's pandemic situation again.
With the new figures, the death toll jumped to 13,345 while the death rate stood at 1.59 percent, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Bangladesh’s fight to tackle the second wave of coronavirus has become tougher after the detection of the Delta variant of the virus in different parts of the country.
The higher infection rate in frontier districts and limited capacities in district hospitals have become a challenge amid the worsening situation.
The total caseload has reached 8,41,087, with the new cases.
Also read: Bangladesh loses 63 more lives to Covid; new infections 3,840
Lockdown extended
The government has extended the ongoing countrywide lockdown till 15 July as the Covid-19 situation continues to worsen.
However, all government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices, banks and financial institutions will remain open maintaining health protocols.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Positivity rate hits 14.12%, highest in 50 days
Bangladesh registered 1,637 new Covid cases with the positivity rate hitting 14.12% in 24 hours until Saturday morning.
The positivity rate went up again from Friday’s 13.39 percent, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
This is the highest in 50 days since April 23 this year when the country reported 14% Covid positivity rate.
Also read: Covid-19: Positivity rate now 62% in Natore sadar, municipality
Besides, 39 people died due to Covid-19 during the period, pushing up the death toll to 13,071, while the caseload reached 8,24,486 with the logging of the new cases.
However, the fatality rate rose to 1.59% from Friday’s 1.58%, said the DGHS handout.
Of the deceased, Khulna division recorded the highest 11 deaths while Dhaka division 10.
Also read: Bangladesh loses 43 more lives to Covid-19, toll crosses 13,000
Meanwhile, seven people died in Rajshahi, six in Chattogram, two each in Rangpur, Barishal and one in Sylhet divisions.
India reports record high of 6,148 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours
India reported a record high of 6,148 COVID-19 deaths during the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll in the country to 359,676, said the federal health ministry on Thursday.
Read:17 killed in India road crash
Meanwhile, 94,052 new cases were recorded in the period, the third consecutive day when less than 100,000 cases were reported in a single day. The total caseload stands at 29,183,121.
There are still 1,167,952 active cases in the country, a decrease of 63,463 since Wednesday. As many as 27,655,493 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far.
Read: India's COVID-19 death toll crosses 350,000
12 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
Twelve more Covid patients died in the past 24 hours at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), health officials said on Thursday.
Of the deceased, nine hailed from Rajshahi district while three belonged to Chapainawabganj district, Deputy Director of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, Dr Saiful Ferdous, said.
Of the 12 people, Dr Saiful said, seven had tested positive for Covid-19 while the others were admitted to Rajshahi Hospital with coronavirus symptoms.
Currently,b142 patients from Rajshahi, 111 from Chapainawabganj, 15 from Naogaon, 15 from Natore, three from Pabna, three from Kushtia and one from Chuadanga are undergoing treatment in the corona unit of Rajshahi hospital.
READ: 16 more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
On June 2, Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil announced the administration's decision to impose restrictions in the district to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
READ: Nine more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital
Passengers' movement through Indo-Bangla land ports to remain shut till May 31
The government has extended restrictions on the movement of passengers through land ports with India, up to May 31, as India's surge in coronavirus cases continues.
Although borders with India will remain closed to people, goods will continue to cross.
Also read: Bangladesh detects first case of Indian Coronavirus strain
However, Bangladeshi citizens, stranded in India, could enter through Benapole, Akhaura, Burimari Darshana, Hili, and Sonamasjid.
The general movement of people between Bangladesh and India, through all the other land ports, will remain suspended.
Also read: Bangladesh loses 26 more lives to Covid, toll reaches 12,310
Railroads will be encouraged for the export and import of goods between the two countries during this period.
Bangladesh citizens now stranded in India, who qualifies and are willing to return to the country, will have to submit a Covid-19 negative certificate with QR code (RT-PCR) to obtain a no-objection certificate from Bangladesh missions in New Delhi, Kolkata, and Agartala, the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Tripura's Agartala India said Friday.
Also read: Shutting border with India: Experts praise it as prudent decision
Earlier, the government closed the border with India for 14 days with effect from April 26 but cargoes carrying goods were allowed to operate as usual.
Later on May 8, the border suspension was extended for 14 more days.
Global Covid cases top 165 million
Covid-19 continues its onslaught across the world, even with mass inoculations underway. The overall number of corona cases has now topped 165 million.
The total cases and fatalities reached 165,253,588 and 3,425,648, respectively, on Friday morning, as per the latest data released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The Covid-19 cases in the US, the worst-hit country in the world, have surged past 33 million now. The total caseload and deaths in the country currently stand at 33,055,801 and 588,531, respectively, as per JHU.
Also read: US civil rights leader urges Biden To give 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to India
India has been experiencing a precarious situation of handling the Covid-19 situation as the country has registered 26,030,674 cases with 291,365 deaths to date.
However, a Hindustan Times analysis show that some of India’s Covid-19 hotspots are on a recovery path with seven out of every 10 Indians living in the 19 Indian states and Union territories, some of which were its early epicenters, seeing an improvement.
Among the 19 are Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, some of which were ravaged by the second wave with the healthcare systems of most being overwhelmed by a rush of hospitalisations.
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.
The country has logged 15,898,558 cases and 444,391 deaths, as of Friday.
Also read: India to begin clinical trials for Covd-19 vaccine in children
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Thursday reported 36 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours, taking the national count to 12,284. The mortality rate though remains static at 1.56%.
Besides, the country saw 1,457 new cases as 19,437 samples were tested during the 24-hour period, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
The infection rate fell to 7.50% from Wednesday’s 7.83%.
Also read: Covid-19: 36 more die in Bangladesh, 1,457 others infected
Vaccination drive
In the past 24 hours, not a single citizen in the country received the first dose of the vaccine. However, 53,915 people received the second dose during the period.
The administering of the first dose has remained suspended since April 26. Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to an acute shortage of the same amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses acquired from India's Serum Institute.
Bangladesh logs 30 more Covid-19 deaths; infection rate rises to 7.55 pc
Bangladesh registered 30 more coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours until Tuesday morning, pushing up the total fatalities to 12,211.
Besides, 1,272 new cases were detected during the period after testing 16,855 samples, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a handout.
The daily infection rate rose to 7.55 percent from Monday’s 6.75 percent.
With the new cases, the total caseload reached 7,28,129 while the total number of recoveries stood at 7,24,209, including 1,115 in the last 24 hours.
Now the recovery rate stands at 92.59 percent.
The country has so far carried out 57,34,918 sample tests since reporting its first cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Bangladesh has been seeing below 50 daily deaths from May 9 and the number stayed mostly below 60 from the beginning of May.
The country experienced a surge in Covid-19 cases in April, recording its highest single-day cases of 7,626 on April 7. It witnessed over 100 deaths during April 16-19 and on April 25.
Second dose of vaccine running out
The second dose of Covid-19 vaccine will run out within seven to ten days, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said Monday.
Also read: Administering of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine to begin on May 25/26: Health Minister
Five lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine, donated by China, arrived in Dhaka last week.
The vaccine will be given to those who need it most, said the minister.
Administering of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine will begin later this month, he said.
“We talked to the US, China, Russia and the UK and some progress has been made. Hopefully you will get good news soon. As per contracts, we’ve got only seven million doses out of 30 million. We’re also worried about the second dose,” he added.
US to actively consider Bangladesh’s vaccine request
The United States has said it is actively considering the request made by Bangladesh over the supply of Covid-19 vaccine doses to meet the country’s immediate needs.
Bangladesh will get a reply of the letter, sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, within the next couple of days, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam on Monday after his meeting with US Ambassador Earl Miller.
Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday, the United States will send an additional 20 million doses of US-approved Covid-19 vaccines overseas, reported AP.
The additional doses will put to 80 million the United States will provide to other countries by the end of June.
Also read: Bangladesh seeks at least 2 mln doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute.
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.
The administering 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 last 24 hours, no one received the first dose of the vaccine while 64,377 have received the second dose, said the health directorate.
Covid-19 death toll in Bangladesh crosses 12,000
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.