Lowest daily infection rate in eight months

Bangladesh reported the lowest daily infection rate of 6.85% in eight months on Tuesday when 991 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

Earlier on 11 April, the daily infection rate was 6.08%.  

In the last 24 hours ending at 8am on Tuesday, 20 more people died from the novel coronavirus. The death rate in the country now stands at 1.48%. 

Professor Nazrul Islam, a noted virologist and former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, told The Business Standard that the infection rate in the country is now on the decline.

Mentioning the daily infection rate has now come down to 6%, he said, "Coronavirus is not dominating in our country as other viruses dominate more in winter.

"If the infection rate stands at 5% for three consecutive weeks, then we can open our schools."

But, if people do not follow the hygiene rules, the infection may increase again, added the virologist.

He thinks the infection rate may go up again after the winter.

Bangladesh has passed 304 days since the Covid-19 outbreak with 517,920 confirmed cases and 7,670 deaths so far, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The country's first Covid-19 cases were reported on 8 March this year while the first death from the virus was reported on 18 March. 

Bangladesh's Covid-19 infection rate had been hovering between 20% and 25% from June to August.

The highest daily infection rate in the country was reported at 31.91% on 3 August.

The infection rate came down to below 20% in August. In December, the infection rate was hovering between 8% and 12%.

A total of 944 patients were declared free of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of recoveries to 462,459 with a recovery rate of 89.29%.

Among the latest day's victims, 16 were men and four women. Of them, 19 patients died in different hospitals across the country while undergoing treatment and one at home.

Meanwhile, 14,462 samples were tested in 180 labs across the country in the past 24 hours.

A total of 3286,885 samples have been tested in the country so far.