Bangladesh records highest ever 7,626 Covid cases, 63 deaths
The country’s death toll from the virus now stands at 9,447
Bangladesh on Wednesday saw an alarming growth in the number of Covid-19 cases as 7,626 people – highest so far – were tested positive in the past 24 hours.
Third day of the ongoing nationwide lockdown also saw 63 more deaths from the virus.
Bangladesh starts administering the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZaneca vaccine today while continuing the first jab campaign, said the DGHS.
The country's death toll from the virus now stands at 9,447, according to a press release from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new cases took the total Covid-19 count to 6,59,278, with an infection rate of 22.02%. The overall infection rate stands at 13.50% and the fatality rate 1.43%.
Among the latest day's victims, 39 were men and 24 were women.
Moreover, 41 of them hailed from Dhaka, 10 from Chattogram, four from Rajshahi, two each from Khulna and Mymensingh, one from Barishal and three from Sylhet division.
Of the deceased, all died in different hospitals across the country.
A total of 34,630 samples were tested in 237 labs across the country in the past 24 hours. The country has so far tested 48,82,565 samples.
Also, 3,256 patients were declared free of Covid-19 during the same period, raising the total number of recoveries to 5,61,639 with an 85.19% recovery rate.
The country's maiden cases were reported on 8 March last year and the first death from the virus was reported on 18 March.
Second dose of vaccine starts Thursday
According to health experts, those getting infected after receiving the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine should take the second shot four to six weeks after recovery.
Dr ASM Alamgir, principal scientific officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, told The Business Standard that the second dose would be deferred for those who contracted the disease after taking the first jab but they would not need to worry about this as there would be no problem.
"They just need to inform their respective inoculation centres that they will receive the second dose later as they were infected after receiving the first dose," he explained.
Bangladesh is administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, produced at the Serum Institute of India since 7 February. Bangladesh has already administered over 55.68 lakh doses, out of 1.12 crore, to date.
As per a deal with India's Serum Institute and Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company Beximco, the government was supposed to get 50 lakh doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine every month. Bangladesh has received two shipments of 70 lakh doses so far.
Apart from that, Bangladesh received two consignments of 32 lakh doses as gifts from India.