Bangladesh reported nine more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning. With the new number, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,929, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily case test positivity rate rose to 0.55 percent from Monday’s 0.33 percent against the tests of 1,642 samples. The recovery and death rates remained unchanged at 98.47 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 2 more cases Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and highest number of fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.  

The overall number of Covid cases is now approaching 542 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world. According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 542, 503, 603 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,336,592 on Thursday morning. The US has recorded 87,759,180 cases so far and 1,037,664 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows. India's COVID-19 tally rose to 43,245,517 on Wednesday, as 8,822 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data. Besides, 15 deaths from the pandemic registered across the country since Tuesday morning took the total death toll to 524,792. Also read: India records 7,240 new COVID-19 cases, 8 more deaths Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh recorded 232 new Covid cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning taking the country's total caseload to 1,954,637. The country's total fatalities, however, remained unchanged at 29,131 as no death was reported during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The daily test positivity rate rose to 3.88 per cent from Tuesday’s 3.56 per cent as 5,986 samples were tested during the period. The country on Tuesday saw 162 cases with zero death. The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent. The recovery rates remained static at 97.49 per cent as 88 patients recovered during this period. In May, the country reported only four Covid-linked deaths and 816 new cases, while 7,356 patients recovered from the disease, according to the DGHS. Also read: Budget FY23: Tourism sector gets incentive of Tk 1,000 cr to recover from Covid losses Among the four deaths during the period, one was vaccinated with single dose of Covid vaccine while three were vaccinated with two doses. The country reported its first zero Covid death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 cases, since the pandemic broke out here in March 2020. On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest positivity rate of 33.37 per cent. The country registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 in the same year.

Amid a global scare over the new strain of Covid-19, the overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 273 million. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 273,668,314 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,343,939 Saturday morning. The US has recorded 50,701,324 cases to date and more than 805,796 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 22,204,941 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,395. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,726,049 on Friday, as 7,447 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's data. Besides, 391 deaths from the pandemic since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 476,869. READ: Global Covid cases surpass 264 million Ten new cases of the Omicron variant were logged in India's capital Friday, taking the country's case tally of the new variant to 98. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported two more Covid-related deaths with 191 fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning. With the latest figures, the daily case positivity rate increased to 1.17 percent from Thursday’s 1.02 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The total fatalities rose to 28,043 while the caseload mounted to 15,80,750 with the fresh ones. On December 9, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic is apparently showing signs of easing. READ: Global Covid cases surpass 263 million The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020. Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year. So far, 15,45,259 Covid-19 infected people have recovered.

The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 265 million amid the emergence of the new Omricron variant of Covid-19. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 264,834,612 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,242,078 Saturday morning. The US has recorded 48,988,223 cases to date and more than 787,678 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 22,129,409 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 615,400. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,615,757 on Friday, as 9,216 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data. Besides, as many as 391 deaths due to the pandemic since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 470,115. Also read: FDA paves way for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in young kids Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged three more Covid-linked deaths and 243 fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning. With the latest cases, the daily case positivity rate increased to 1.40 percent from Thursday’s 1.24 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 27,989 while the caseload mounted to 15,77,070. However, the mortality rate declined to 1.77 percent. The fresh cases were detected after testing 17,473 samples, amid the growing concern over the Omicron variant. Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.77 percent with the recovery of 225 more patients during the 24-hour period. On November 20, Bangladesh logged this year’s first zero Covid-linked death with 178 cases. Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year. So far, 3,75,67,876 people have fully been vaccinated in the country, while 6,37,71,795 received the first dose as of Thursday, according to the directorate. Also read: Dual disaster management during COVID-19 pandemic underscored    Among them, 5,90,19 students, aged from 12-17, have fully been vaccinated, while 8,74,213 students received the first dose so far.

The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 263 million amid the global scare over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 263,428,782 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,223,644 Thursday morning. Omicron raised alarm because of its sheer number of mutations, more than prior variants had. Possibly 30 are in a key place, the spike protein that lets the virus attach to human cells, reports AP. The US has recorded 48,692,555 cases to date and more than 782,104 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data. The US recorded its first confirmed case of the Omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveller who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones, reports AP. Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States’ top infectious disease expert, announced the finding at the White House. Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,105,872 cases as of Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 614,964. Brazil on Wednesday reported its third case of Omicron, after a Brazilian national who arrived from eastern Africa over the weekend tested positive. Read: Why WHO skipped ‘nu,’ ‘xi’ for new COVID variant India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,596,776 on Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 469,247. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged two more Covid-linked deaths along with 282 fresh cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning. With the latest cases, the daily case positivity rate rose to 1.50 percent from Tuesday’s 1.38 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 27,983 while the caseload mounted to 15,76,566 amid the growing concern over the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. On November 20, Bangladesh logged this year’s first zero Covid-linked death with 178 cases. Bangladesh logged the highest number of daily fatalities at 264 on August 5 this year. Besides, the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year. Read: What we know and don’t know on new COVID variant So far, 3,69,63,122 people have fully been vaccinated in the country, while 6,17,32,437 received the first dose as of Tuesday, according to the directorate.  

The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 261 million amid the global race to vaccinate masses against the infectious disease. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 260,570,886 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,188,399 Saturday morning. The US has recorded 48,175,854 cases to date and more than 776, 321 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, has registered 22,067,630, cases so far, while its Covid death toll rose to 616,957. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,555,431 on Friday, as 10,549 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data. Also read: Covid impact: Women, urbanites, people on the move uniquely affected, says study Besides, another 488 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Thursday morning, taking the total death toll to 467,468. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh reported three more Covid-linked deaths along with 239 fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning. With this, the daily case positivity rate increased to 1.49 percent on Friday from Thursday’s 1.25 percent, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 27,973 while the caseload mounted to 15,75,424 Among the latest deceased, two were women and one man. Two of them were from Khulna and one was from Dhaka. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 percent. The fresh cases were detected after testing 16,916 samples, the directorate added. Besides, the recovery rate stood at 97.74 percent with the recovery of 277 more patients during the 24-hour period. Also read: French prime minister positive for COVID-19, as cases rise Public health experts have warned that the current downward trend of Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh could well be the obvious calm before a cataclysmic storm. Their fear centres around children below 12 who remain out of the vaccine coverage and the elderly people, according to the experts.

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world raced Friday to contain a new coronavirus variant potentially more dangerous than the one that has fueled relentless waves of infection on nearly every continent. A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the predominant delta variant, which is still a scourge driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the United States. “It seems to spread rapidly,” U.S. President Joe Biden said of the new variant, only a day after celebrating the resumption of Thanksgiving gatherings for millions of American families and the sense that normal life was coming back at least for the vaccinated. In announcing new travel restrictions, he told reporters, “I’ve decided that we’re going to be cautious.” Omicron’s actual risks are not understood. But early evidence suggests it carries an increased risk of reinfection compared with other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said. That means people who contracted COVID-19 and recovered could be subject to catching it again. It could take weeks to know if current vaccines are less effective against it. In response to the variant’s discovery in southern Africa, the United States, Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the European Union in restricting travel for visitors from that region, where the variant brought on a fresh surge of infections. The White House said the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. Biden issued a declaration later Friday making the travel prohibition official, with exceptions for U.S. citizens and permanent residents and for several other categories, including spouses and other close family. Read:South African scientists detect new virus variant amid spike Medical experts, including the WHO, warned against any overreaction before the variant was thoroughly studied. But a jittery world feared the worst after the tenacious virus triggered a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the globe. “We must move quickly and at the earliest possible moment,” British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers. Omicron has now been seen in travelers to Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel, as well as in southern Africa. There was no immediate indication whether the variant causes more severe disease. As with other variants, some infected people display no symptoms, South African experts said. The WHO panel drew from the Greek alphabet in naming the variant omicron, as it has done with earlier, major variants of the virus. Read: Resource for journalists around the world on COVID-19 vaccines Even though some of the genetic changes appear worrisome, it was unclear how much of a public health threat it posed. Some previous variants, like the beta variant, initially concerned scientists but did not spread very far. Fears of more pandemic-induced economic turmoil caused stocks to tumble in Asia, Europe and the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly dropped more than 1,000 points. The S&P 500 index closed down 2.3%, its worst day since February. The price of oil plunged about 13%. “The last thing we need is to bring in a new variant that will cause even more problems,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. Members of the 27-nation EU have experienced a massive spike in cases recently. Britain, EU countries and some others introduced their travel restrictions Friday, some within hours of learning of the variant. Asked why the U.S. was waiting until Monday, Biden said only: “Because that was the recommendation coming from my medical team.” The White House said government agencies needed the time to work with airlines and put the travel limits into effect. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said flights will have to “be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant, and travelers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules.” She warned that “mutations could lead to the emergence and spread of even more concerning variants of the virus that could spread worldwide within a few months.” “It’s a suspicious variant,” said Frank Vandenbroucke, health minister in Belgium, which became the first European Union country to announce a case of the variant. “We don’t know if it’s a very dangerous variant.” Omicron has yet to be detected in the United States, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert. Although it may be more transmissible and resistant to vaccines than other variants, “we don’t know that for sure right now,” he told CNN. Speaking to reporters outside a bookstore on Nantucket Island, where he was spending the holiday weekend, Biden said the new variant was “a great concern” that “should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations.” He called anew for unvaccinated Americans to get their widely available doses and for governments to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines so they can be more rapidly manufactured around the world. Israel, one of the world’s most vaccinated countries, announced Friday that it also detected its first case of the new variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. The traveler and two other suspected cases were placed in isolation. Israel said all three were vaccinated, but officials were looking into the travelers’ exact vaccination status. After a 10-hour overnight trip, passengers aboard KLM Flight 598 from Capetown, South Africa, to Amsterdam were held on the edge of the runway Friday morning at Schiphol airport for four hours pending special testing. Passengers aboard a flight from Johannesburg were also isolated and tested. “It’s ridiculous. If we didn’t catch the dreaded bug before, we’re catching it now,” said passenger Francesca de’ Medici, a Rome-based art consultant who was on the flight. Some experts said the variant’s emergence illustrated how rich countries’ hoarding of vaccines threatens to prolong the pandemic. Fewer than 6% of people in Africa have been fully immunized against COVID-19, and millions of health workers and vulnerable populations have yet to receive a single dose. Those conditions can speed up spread of the virus, offering more opportunities for it to evolve into a dangerous variant. “This is one of the consequences of the inequity in vaccine rollouts and why the grabbing of surplus vaccines by richer countries will inevitably rebound on us all at some point,” said Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Britain’s University of Southampton. He urged Group of 20 leaders “to go beyond vague promises and actually deliver on their commitments to share doses.” The new variant added to investor anxiety that months of progress containing COVID-19 could be reversed. “Investors are likely to shoot first and ask questions later until more is known,” said Jeffrey Halley of foreign exchange broker Oanda. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discouraged any travel bans on countries that reported the new variant. It said past experience shows that such travel bans have “not yielded a meaningful outcome.” The U.S. restrictions will apply to visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi. The White House suggested the restrictions will mirror an earlier pandemic policy that banned entry of any foreigners who had traveled over the previous two weeks in the designated regions. The U.K. banned flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries and announced that anyone who had recently arrived from those countries would be asked to take a coronavirus test. Canada banned the entry of all foreigners who have traveled to southern Africa in the last two weeks. The Japanese government announced that Japanese nationals traveling from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho will have to quarantine at government-dedicated accommodations for 10 days and take three COVID-19 tests during that time. Japan has not yet opened up to foreign nationals. Russia announced travel restrictions effective Sunday.

Bangladesh has received 1.8 million more Pfizer vaccine jabs donated by the United States as part of its broader commitment to lead the global Covid-19 response. The new doses will help the government of Bangladesh continue expanding the Covid-19 vaccinations for young people ages 12 and up and reach its goal of vaccinating 40 percent of the eligible population by the end of 2021, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday. The donation of Pfizer jabs is part of the broader commitment by the United States to lead the global Covid-19 response by providing one billion doses of Pfizer vaccine doses around the world—free of charge—through 2022, it said. The United States is also working closely with Bangladesh to support the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign and strengthen the government’s response to the pandemic.   Also Read: Pfizer says COVID-19 pill cut hospital, death risk by 90% The US has provided training to over 6,800 healthcare professionals to help them safely administer vaccines and donated 18 cold-chain freezer trucks and support for health facilities to properly store and transport Covid-19 vaccines across the country.   In addition to vaccine donations and support, the US government has contributed over $121 million in Covid-related assistance.   This assistance has saved lives and treated individuals infected with Covid-19, strengthened testing capacity and monitoring, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved the supply chain and logistics management systems, said the Embassy.   US support also protects frontline workers and increases the public’s knowledge about Covid-19, including ways to protect themselves. Also Read: FDA paves way for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in young kids The United States has donated $4 billion to support the worldwide Covax efforts, which includes support for ultra-cold chain storage, transportation, and safe handling of Covid-19 vaccines, making the United States the world’s largest donor for equitable global Covid-19 vaccine access.

The overall global number of Covid-19 cases is fast approaching 253 million amid the race to vaccinate people against the infectious disease. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 252, 920,587 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,095, 436 as of Sunday morning. The US has recorded 47,043,735 cases to date and more than 762,954 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 21,953,838 cases as of Saturday, while its Covid death toll rose to 611,224. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,426,036 on Saturday, as 11,850 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data. Besides, 555 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the total death toll to 463,245. Read: Bangladesh gets close to zero Covid-linked death Russia is reporting a new daily high number of Covid-19 deaths, while the total number of coronavirus infections during the pandemic in the country has topped 9 million, reports AP. The surge in daily deaths and infections that began in mid-September appeared to plateau over the past week, but the national coronavirus task force said Saturday that a record 1,241 people died from the virus over the past day, two more than the previous record reported on Wednesday. The task force said 39,256 new infections were recorded, bringing the country’s case total to 9.03 million. Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged six more Covid-linked deaths and reported 151 fresh infections in 24 hours till Saturday morning. Read: Bangladesh ‘braces for Covid’s winter wave’; experts urge caution The daily-case positivity rate slightly declined to 1.11 per cent from Friday’s 1.28 per cent. The fresh numbers took the total fatalities to 27,918 while the country’s caseload mounted to 15,72,278, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the deceased, four were men and two women. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 per cent. The fresh cases were detected after testing 13,569 samples, said the DGHS. Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.71 per cent with the recovery of 192 more patients during the period. On Thursday, the country saw just a single death from Covid-19 again which was the lowest in nearly 18 months along with 237 cases.

The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 252 million amid the global race to vaccinate masses against the infectious disease. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 252,442,545 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,087,366 Saturday morning. The US has recorded 46,974,977 cases to date and more than 761,691 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data. Brazil on Friday registered 610,491 deaths and 21,939,196 cases, said the Health Ministry. Brazil has seen an average of 257 deaths and 10,502 new cases per day in the last week. The South American country currently has a rate of 290.3 deaths and 10,425.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the ministry. India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,414,186 on Friday, as 12,516 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data. Besides, as many as 501 deaths due to the pandemic since Thursday morning took the total toll to 462,690. Also read: FDA paves way for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations in young kids Situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh logged five more Covid-linked deaths and reported 221 fresh infections in 24 hours till Friday morning. The daily case positivity rate slightly increased to 1.28 percent from Thursday’s 1.21 percent. The fresh numbers took the total fatalities to 27,912 while the country’s caseload mounted to 1,572,127, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). All the deceased were men. However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 percent. The fresh cases were detected after testing 17,282 samples, said the directorate. Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.71 percent, with the recovery of 219 more patients during the period. Read: Two Bangladeshi companies get DGDA nod for marketing oral Covid drug On Thursday, the country saw just a single death from Covid-19 again, which was the lowest in nearly 18 months. So far, 3,25,34,617 people have fully been vaccinated in the country, while 5,11,21,705 received the first dose as of Thursday, according to the directorate.