Covid-19 positivity rate spikes to 18.59%, highest in 2 months

Bangladesh on Friday witnessed a steep rise in positivity rate with 18.59% infections recorded in the last 24 hours, which is the highest in 61 days. 

The country also found 3,883 new positive cases during the same period, which took the caseload to 844,970, according to the data provided by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Meanwhile, 54 more people lost their lives to Covid-19, taking the death toll to 13,399 in the country. However, the death rate remained unchanged at 1.59%.

Also, 20,882 samples were tested in 528 labs across the country. 

Among the latest day's victims, 35 were men, and 19 were women. Of the victims, 52 died in different hospitals across the country while two died at home. 

Moreover, 15 of the deceased hailed from the Chattogram division, 12 each from Dhaka and Rajshahi, eight from Khulna, four from Barishal, two from Sylhet, and one from Mymensingh division.

Also, 1,955 patients were declared free of Covid-19 during the last 24 hours, with a 92.12% recovery rate.

The Covid-19 victims' gender breakdown shows that 9,623 of the total deceased across the country were men and 3,776 were women.

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

India on Friday registered 62,480 cases and 1,587 deaths due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the caseload and death toll to 29,762,793 and 383,490 respectively, according to the Union health ministry.

As of Friday, 3,859,053 people globally succumbed to the viral disease and so far 178,247,235 people contracted the virus, according to data provided by Worldometer.