Covid-19 infections, deaths increase
The positivity rate dropped to 9.41% and the death rate of 1.58% remained unchanged
Bangladesh recorded 36 more deaths of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours till Monday 8am, which was 34 on Sunday.
During the same period, 1,710 new infections were registered, the highest daily cases in the last 24 days, which took the infection tally to 8,00,540 and the death toll to 12,619, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
The positivity rate dropped to 9.41% and the death rate of 1.58% remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, 18,178 samples have been tested in 503 labs across the country.
Among the latest day's victims, 25 were men and 11 were women. Of the victims, 34 died in different hospitals across the country and two died at home.
The country's maiden case was reported on 8 March last year and the first death from the virus was reported on 18 March.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday said that negotiations with China regarding the Sinopharm vaccine are in the final stage. Bangladesh is expecting to get a consignment of five million doses of vaccine in each of June, July and August.
Once the doses arrive, the first dose of the vaccine will be applied to students so they can begin classes. We will prioritise university students in vaccination as we want them to restart their studies. Students will get preference in Pfizer vaccine too, he added.
"We hope we will also receive the Russian vaccine soon. A Non-Disclosure agreement has already been signed. We have also discussed getting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Five crore people need to be vaccinated," the minister said further.
Bangladesh has already administered nearly one crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine and had to suspend the vaccination due to a shortage of vaccine. The government has requested several countries for vaccines over the past few weeks.
On 12 May, a consignment of five lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine, gifted by the government of China, arrived in Dhaka.
Besides, a consignment of 1,00,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine was scheduled to arrive in the country at 11:20pm Monday (for an update of vaccine arrival, please visit www.tbsnews.net).
The government will buy 1.5 crore Sinopharm vaccines from China, and its first consignment is likely to arrive in Dhaka in June, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said last week.
