Daily Covid-19 deaths drop below 200 after 19 days

Bangladesh on Friday witnessed a significant decline in the number of daily deaths from Covid-19 after 19 days as 197 people died from the virus in 24 hours until 8am, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 

On 24 July, the country reported below 200 deaths in a single day following the Eid-ul-Adha vacation. 

The country had been under strict lockdown since the beginning of July until 10 August with an eight-day break during Eid. Amid the restriction period, more than 200 deaths were recorded almost every day. 

The beginning of the current year witnessed a drastic fall in coronavirus cases in the country but the trend lasted for only two months - 21,629 cases were detected in January and 11,077 in February.

Later, the country saw a sharp increase in infections with 65,079 cases reported in March and 147,837 in April. The country again witnessed a fall in May as it recorded 41,408 cases. From the beginning of June, the country recorded a sharp rise with 112,718 cases, the DGHS said.

According to the DGHS, the number of daily cases also fell below the 10,000-mark in the 24 hours, with 8,465 people were diagnosed positive for the virus from 40,641 samples tested during the 24 hours period. 

Meanwhile, the positivity rate dropped to 20.83%, while the death rate remained unchanged at 1.69%, according to the health directorate.

With the latest additions, the death toll stands at 23,810 and the case tally climbed to 1405,333 in the country.

Of the deceased, the highest 78 died in Dhaka division followed by 53 in Chattogram, 18 in Khulna, 12 in Mymensingh, 11 in Barishal, nine in Rangpur, eight each in Rajshahi and Sylhet divisions.

Also, 11,457 Covid patients recovered from the viral disease, which took the recovery rate to 90.62%. 

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

Meanwhile, Bangladesh on Friday received 10 lakh doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine as a gift from China. 

A charter flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the consignment landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6pm. 

A total of 56 boxes with 10 lakh doses of Covid vaccine and 313 cartons with 4.1 tonnes of Syringe came for China. 

Apart from this, another charter flight is scheduled to leave for China on 14 August to bring more doses of the vaccine. 

The government on Wednesday approved a proposal to purchase six crores more doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from China.

The government earlier paid China for 1.5 crore doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. Of them, 70 lakh doses have already arrived here.

Besides, 17 lakh more doses of Sinopharm reached here as part of the Covax facility and China gifted 11 lakh doses of the vaccine to Bangladesh.