Weekly Covid-19 deaths jump by 52%, cases by 24% in Bangladesh

The number of weekly Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh has increased by 24.1% while weekly deaths have increased by 52.8% since last week, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Update of the World Health Organization (WHO) published on Monday.

According to the WHO's report, in epidemiological week 47 – from 16-22 November –  15,008 new cases were recorded, while in the previous week – from 9-15 November – 12,095 new cases were recorded in the country.

During 16-22 November, the number of Covid-19 deaths in the country was 194, while it was 127 the previous week.

Noted virologist Professor Nazrul Islam told The Business Standard, "The number of Covid-19 patients is increasing. Within a week the number of infected patients will further increase. Everyone should use masks more strictly and follow the health rules."

"Right now there are no vacancies in Covid-19 ICUs. This crisis may escalate further. The number of beds in ICUs needs to be increased. Otherwise, it will be difficult for hospitals to handle patients," added Professor Nazrul Islam, a former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.                                 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded 32 more deaths from the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours till Tuesday 8am.

The country's death toll from the virus now stands at 6,448, according to a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

In the last 24 hours, 2,230 people tested positive for Covid-19, which brings the number of novel coronavirus cases in the country to 451,990.

Among the latest day's victims, 25 were men and seven were women. Of these victims, 31 died in different hospitals across the country while one died at home.

Moreover, 24 of them hailed from Dhaka, four from Chattogram, three from Rajshahi, and one from Rangpur.

In the 24-hour period, 15,018 samples were tested in 117 labs across the country.  Bangladesh has tested 2,680,149 samples so far.

During the period, 2,266 patients were declared free of Covid-19, raising the total number of recoveries to 366,877 with an 81.17% recovery rate.

The gender breakdown of Covid-19 victims shows that 4,955 of the total deceased were men and 1,493 were women.

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