Covid-19 update
Global Covid-19 cases top 138 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has now surged past 138 million, an alarming figure that paints a bleak picture of the pandemic.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 138,056,297 while the death tally from the virus reached 2,971,539 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 31,420,888 cases to date and more than 564,396 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Also Read: Global Covid-19 case surpassed 137 million
Brazil, which has been experiencing new wave of cases since January, registered 73,513 fresh cases, bringing the national tally to 13,673,507.
Brazil's Covid-19 death toll has risen to 361,884, with 3,459 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday.
Besides, India’s total cases is approaching 14 million, forcing the authorities concerned to enforce restrictions in many states from Wednesday.
India has so far registered 13,873,825 cases and 172,085 deaths from the virus, according to the government.
Also Read: Covid-19: Global cases close to 136 million
Situation in Bangladesh
With the shattering situation of Covid-19 cases, Bangladesh reported 96 deaths in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The latest fatalities have pushed up the local tally to 9,987 since the first death was reported on March 18 last year, a handout from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said. The mortality rate stood at 1.42 percent.
Bangladesh saw a spike in the number of daily cases in recent days that was followed by record single-day death counts.
On Wednesday, the country registered its highest number of deaths from the virus for the fourth time in five days. The figure was 69 on Tuesday, 83 on Monday, 78 on Sunday and 77 on Saturday.
Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in January this year, 281 in February and 638 in March.
The government has enforced a fresh strict lockdown for eight days from Wednesday in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Under the fresh lockdown all government, semi-government, autonomous, private offices and financial institutions will remain closed but the officers and employees will have to stay in their respective work stations.
The Cabinet division issued a notification in this regard on Monday. The lockdown will remain in force from 6 am Wednesday (April 14) till April 21 midnight.
Covid-19 Vaccine
The government launched a vaccination campaign on February 7 with doses received from the Serum Institute of India.
Experts are calling for ramping up the drive and urging people to follow the health guidelines to keep themselves and others around them safe.
On April 8, Bangladesh began its second phase of inoculation amid uncertainty over vaccine availability.
Covid-19: Bangladesh sees highest daily death toll of 74
As Covid-19 continues its onslaught despite lockdown, Bangladesh on Thursday registered 74 more deaths during the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, breaking its all the previous records.
The number of new Coronavirus cases dropped slightly to 6,854 after remaining over 7,000 for the past four days, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the new 74 deaths, the Covid-19 fatalities rose to 9,521 while the mortality rate remained static at 1.43 percent.
Also read:Bangladesh begins second phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive
The infection rate slipped to 20.65 percent from 22.02 percent on Wednesday.
During the reporting period, 3,391 patients recovered, raising the number of recoveries to 565,030, the DGHS said.
Even though the government enforced a weeklong lockdown restricting people’s movement, shutting shops, markets and suspending operations of public transport (bus, train and domestic flights), people took it lightly and are moving around freely defying the restrictions.
Later, the government allowed the movement of public transports in city corporation areas and reopened shops and shopping malls until April 13.
The virus claimed 568 lives in Bangladesh in January alone this year, while 281 in February and 638 in March. Bangladesh has so far recorded 666,132 coronavirus cases, according to the handout.
Shops, shopping malls to reopen Friday for 5 days
The government has allowed reopening of shops and shopping malls for five days from Friday (April 9-13) subject to maintaining health guidelines.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Thursday.
Also Read: Bustle back in Dhaka with reopening of city bus services
As per the circular, owners will be allowed to keep their shops and shopping malls open from 9 am to 3 pm in compliance with the health guidelines.
It said legal action will be taken if health protocols are not maintained properly.
Shops and shopping malls in the country remained shut since April 5 due to a weeklong lockdown enforced by the government to fight the second wave of Covid-19.
Also Read: Silent corona carriers to become 'super spreaders' with market reopening
Bangladesh begins second phase of Covid-19 vaccination drive
Bangladesh Thursday began its second phase of inoculating people against the coronavirus disease amid uncertainty around vaccine availablity.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury got his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. He took the first shot of the vaccine at the same medical facility on February 8.
Also Read: Covid vaccination in Bangladesh to start in first week of Feb
“We should not depend only on vaccines to be free of coronavirus. Everyone should be more aware and abide by the health directives issued by the government,” the Minister said after receiving the jab.
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak also got his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at BSMMU, while Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi received the jab at the National Heart Institute, Dhaka.
The government is supposed to get 50 lakh doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine every month as per a deal between India's Serum Institute and Bangladeshi pharma company Beximco.
The country has so far received two shipments of 70 lakh doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Apart from this, Bangladesh received two consignments of 32 lakh doses of the vaccine as gifts from India.
Bangladesh shatters its all-time records of daily Covid cases
Bangladesh registered the highest number of daily infections with 7,626 new cases and 63 more deaths during the last 24 hours till Wednesday morning amid the deteriorating coronavirus situation.
With today’s figure, over 7,000 new Coronavirus cases were recorded for the fourth consecutive day, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the new 63 deaths, the Covid-19 fatalities rose to 9,447 while the mortality rate dropped slightly to 1.43 percent from Tuesday’s 1.44 percent.
Also read:Shots in little arms: COVID-19 vaccine testing turns to kids
The infection rate jumped to 22.02 percent from 21.02 percent on Wednesday.
During the 24-hour period, 3,256 patients recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 561,639, the DGHS handout said.
Although the government enforced a 7-day lockdown from Monday restricting people’s movement, shutting shops, markets and suspending operations of public transport (bus, train and domestic flights), people took it lightly and moving around freely defying the restriction, posing risks of more transmission.
However, the movement of city buses resumed on Wednesday, two days after the enforcement of the lockdown, as the government has allowed public transport services in city corporation areas.
Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in Bangladesh in January this year, while 281 in February and 638 in March.
Bangladesh has so far recorded 659,278 coronavirus cases, the DGHS handout added.
Also read:No risk of contracting Covid-19 due to vaccination: DGHS
The number of daily cases and infection rate had dropped below 5 percent earlier this year but then the infection rate continued to rise amid people’s reluctance about maintaining health safety rules.
Covid-19: Bangladesh breaks records with 7,213 daily cases, 66 deaths
Bangladesh witnessed record-breaking daily Covid-19 fatalities and infections with 66 deaths and 7,213 cases during the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning amid the worsening coronavirus situation.
More than 7,000 new Coronavirus cases were recorded for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the new 66 deaths, the coronavirus fatalities rose to 9,384 while the mortality rate dropped slightly to 1.44 percent as it was 1.45 percent on Monday.
During the 24-hour period, 2,969 patients recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 558,383, the DGHS handout said.
Although the government enforced a 7-day lockdown from Monday restricting people’s movement, shutting shops, markets and suspending operations of public transport (bus, train and domestic flights), people took it lightly and moving around feely defying the restriction, posing risks of more transmission.
Also read: Shots in little arms: COVID-19 vaccine testing turns to kids
Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in Bangladesh in January this year, while 281 in February and 638 in March.
Earlier, the country’s health authorities recorded over 5,000 Covid cases on March 29, 30 and 31 and April 3 while over 6,000 cases on April 1 and 2.
The infection rate came down to 21.02 percent from 23.40 percent on Monday.
Bangladesh has so far recorded 651,652 coronavirus cases, the DGHS handout added.
The number of daily cases and infection rate had dropped below 5 percent earlier this year but then the infection rate continued to rise amid people’s reluctance about maintaining health safety rules.
Hospitals are struggling to provide treatment to the increasing number of coronavirus patients with their limited resources. The government is increasing the number of beds and Covid-designated hospitals to deal with the situation.
Lockdown in Bangladesh enters day 2 amid public apathy
The weeklong lockdown in Bangladesh entered the second day on Tuesday with a growing public apathy to it as a large number of private vehicles, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws started plying the city streets and people moving freely ignoring the risks of Covid-19 transmission.
However, public transports went off the roads while shops remained shut in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.
Also Read: Experts find lockdown in Bangladesh “unscientific, halfhearted”
Office-goers endured sufferings to reach their destinations as they did the previous day.
Alongside private cars, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, microbus and CNG-run auto-rickshaws and many ride-sharing services were seen operating in the capital as usual.
Shopping malls are closed as per the government instruction but shops were seen open in many areas.
Visiting many city areas, the UNB correspondent found shops in lanes and by-lanes open despite the lockdown.
Members of law enforcement agencies were seen at many points providing masks to those moving without masks ignoring the health guidelines.
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The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken the initiative to distribute masks to raise awareness among people, said Iftekharul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of police (media).
The points include Jatrabari intersection, Kaptan Bazar, Shapla Chattar, Uttar Badda Bazar and Khalpar areas of the city.
Global Covid cases surpass 131.6 million
The global number of confirmed Covid -19 cases surpassed 131.6 million on Tuesday, while fatalities topped 2.8 million, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
To be specific, the total case count currently stands at 131,696,594 and the death toll at 2,859,357, as per the university tally.
Also Read: Global Covid cases hit 130.6 million
The US, the world's worst-hit country, has so far recorded 30,777,338 cases and 555,403 deaths, according to the university.
Brazil’s Covid-19 cases have now surged past 13 million, with the country reporting 28,645 new infections and 1,319 deaths in the past 24 hours.
The South American nation's tally currently stands at 13,013,601 and fatalities at 332,752, the Health Ministry said on Monday.
The South American country is one of the global epicentres of the Covid-19 pandemic, suffering the world's second-worst outbreak in terms of both deaths and infections, only after the United States.
Besides, India which is the world's third worst-hit country in terms of cases and 4th in terms of deaths, has so far reported 12,589,067 cases and 165,101 deaths.
According to the university data, Bangladesh holds 33rd position in terms of Covid-19 cases.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh recorded more than 7,000 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row Monday, as the country is struggling with the rising number of infections during its second wave.
Health authorities recorded 7,075 fresh Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning. And with 52 new deaths during the period, the coronavirus fatalities rose to 9,318. The mortality rate, however, remained static at 1.45 percent.
Amid the worsening Covid situation, the government enforced a 7-day lockdown from Monday restricting people’s movement, shutting shops and markets and suspending operations of public transport (bus, train and domestic flights).
Bangladesh has so far recorded 644,439 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
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 acquiring 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.
Covid’s alarming surge in Bangladesh continues
Bangladesh recorded more than 7,000 new Coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day on Monday as the country is struggling with the rising number of Covid infections during its second wave.
Health authorities recorded 7,075 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours until Monday morning while it registered 7087 cases a day earlier which was the highest number of infections in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
With 52 new deaths during the period, the coronavirus fatalities rose to 9,318. The mortality rate remained static at 1.45 percent.
Amid the worsening Covid situation, the government enforced a 7-day lockdown from Monday restricting people’s movement, shutting shops, markets and suspending operations of public transport (bus, train and domestic flights).
Also read:Second dose of Covid vaccine from Thursday: PM
Coronavirus claimed 568 lives in January this year, 281 in February and 638 in March.
Earlier, the health authorities recorded over 5,000 Covid cases on March 29, 30 and 31 and April 3 while over 6,000 cases on April 1 and 2.
The infection rate rose to 23.40 percent from 23.07 percent on Sunday.
Bangladesh has so far recorded 644,439 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The number of daily cases and infection rate dropped below 5 percent earlier this year but then infections continued to rise again amid people’s reluctance to maintain health safety rules.
Hospitals are struggling to provide treatment to the increasing number of coronavirus patients with their limited resources. The government is increasing the number of beds and Covid-designated hospitals to deal with the situation.
During the 24-hour period until Monday morning, 2,932 patients recovered, taking the number of recoveries to 555,414.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8 last year and confirmed the first death from the virus 10 days later.
Also read:Covid-19: Bangladesh records 6,000+ cases for 2nd straight day
The country has so far tested 4,813,624 samples, including 30,239 in the last 24 hours, the DGHS said.
India records highest COVID-19 daily spike of over 100,000 cases
India recorded a single day spike of 103,558 COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest so far, thus taking the total tally to 12,589,067.
With 478 deaths since Sunday morning, the death toll stood at 165,101.
There are still 741,830 active cases in the country, while 11,682,136 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment.
Also Read: India records highest spike of daily COVID-19 cases this year
There was an increase of 50,233 active cases during the past 24 hours, out of which maximum cases were reported from the southwestern state of Maharashtra.
The number of daily active cases has been on the rise over the past few days, as another wave of COVID-19 looms large in India.
In January the number of daily cases in the country went down to below-10,000. As many as 9,102 new cases were reported on Jan. 25-26, which was the lowest in the previous 237 days. Prior to that the lowest number of daily new cases were 9,304 registered on June 4, 2020.
Also Read: India's COVID-19 tally rises to 11,599,130 with nearly 44,000 new cases .
India launched a nationwide vaccination drive on Jan. 16. So far 79,105,163 people have been vaccinated across the country.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up COVID-19 testing facilities across the country, as over nearly 249 million tests have been conducted so far.
As many as 249,019,657 tests have been conducted till Sunday, out of which 893,749 tests were conducted on Sunday alone, said the latest data issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday.
The national capital Delhi, which has been one of the most COVID-19 affected places in the country, witnessed as many as 4,033 new cases and 21 deaths through Sunday.
As many as 11,081 people have died in the city due to COVID-19, confirmed the Delhi health department. Two types of vaccines are being administered to the people in India.