Bangladesh records 3,288 new Covid-19 cases, death toll nears 2,000

Bangladesh has reported 3, 288 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 1,59,679, while nearly 2,000 people have succumbed to the novel coronavirus, a senior health official said on Saturday.

A total of 29 people died from coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the number of fatalities to 1,997, said Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

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Bangladesh remains the 18th worst affected country in the world in terms of the number of cases. Globally, 5.2 lakh people have died due to the disease and more than 11 million have been infected. The US leads both in terms of the number of deaths and infections, According to Johns Hopkins University data.

In Bangladesh, the total number of infections stands at 1,59,679. A total of 3,288 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours. With this, the current infection rate is 22.33 per cent. The total infection rate so far stands at 19.19 per cent, The Daily Star reported.

As many as 2,673 Covid-19 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours.

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The total number of recoveries has reached 70,721 and the current recovery rate is 44.29 per cent, the DGHS said.

The DGHS official said 13,871 samples had been collected from the suspected Covid-19 patients around the country in the last 24 hours. In total, 832,074 tests have been conducted so far — of which 19.19 per cent tested positive, she said.

"No personal protective equipment (PPE) has been collected in the last 24 hours. The government now has 120,881 in reserve. There are also enough general and ICU beds available in all hospitals dedicated for Covid-19 treatment," Sultana was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.

On March 8, health authorities in Bangladesh had reported the first three cases of Covid-19. The country recorded its first fatality on March 18.

The novel coronavirus originated in China's Wuhan city in late December last year and quickly spread throughout the world, becoming a pandemic in less than three months.