Rise in Covid-19 cases, deaths continues

Highlights:
•    Total infected: 404,760
•    Total death: 5,886
•    Total recovery: 321,281
•    Total sample test: 2,310,589

Bangladesh logged 25 more deaths from the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours – till 8 am Thursday – leading the country's death toll from the virus to stand at 5,886, according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services.

In the meantime, 1,681 people have been tested positive for Covid-19. With this, the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country now hits 404,760.

On Wednesday, daily cases were 1,493 and deaths were 23, which were 1,335 and 20 respectively one day ago.

Prof Nazrul Islam, noted virologist and former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, told the Business Standard, "We need to review the daily case for next week. Then, we can guess whether the infection rate in the country is increasing again. However, after looking at the growth in infection rate in the last few days, it seems we are moving towards the second wave."

The number of infections has increased as people are neither wearing masks and nor maintaining social distance. Now we have to emphasise following the health guideline. At the same time, hospitals should have oxygen and high flow nasal calculus. Otherwise, the second wave will be difficult to deal with, added Prof Nazrul Islam.

The latest day's infection rate was 11.78% of the total tests, though the overall rate in the country till date was 17.52%. The death rate stands at 1.45%.

Also, 1,548 patients were declared free of Covid-19 during the same period, raising the total number of recoveries to 3,21,281 with a 79.38% recovery rate.

Among the latest day's victims, 16 were men and nine were women. Twenty-four of them died in different hospitals across the country while one died at home.

Moreover, 15 of them hailed from Dhaka, five from Chattogram, three from Sylhet and one each from Barishal and Mymensingh division.

Meanwhile, 14,268 samples were tested in 112 labs across the country in the past 24 hours. A total of 2,310,589 samples have been tested in the country so far.

The gender breakdown of Covid-19 victims shows 4,529 of the total deceased were men and 1,357 were women.

The country's maiden case was reported on 8 March this year and the first death from the virus was reported on 18 March.