Bangladesh reported 13 deaths from the novel coronavirus in the 24 hours till Thursday morning, making it the second highest single-day count of fatalities from the virus.
The death toll now stands at 199, the 100-mark having been crossed on April 20.
The highest single-day toll so far stands at 15, which was reported on April 17.
Meanwhile, the number of infections surged to 12,425 as 706 new cases were registered during the same 24-hour span, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on its daily virus bulletin streamed online.
Usually, the figure of fatalities is announced during the bulletin, which, however, was not the case on Thursday. It came in a statement hours later.
Eight of the 13 who died were male. Six of them were aged between 51 and 60, two were in their 40s and one was under 20.
As many as 130 patients recovered during the period, pushing up the total figure to 1,910, DGHS Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said during the daily virus bulletin.
Over 100,000 people tested in 60 days
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 and as of Thursday it had tested as many as 105,460 samples.
In the 24 hours to Thursday morning, a total of 5, 687 samples were tested, according to the DGHS senior official Nasima Sultana.
As many as 6,382 samples were sent to 34 labs across the country during the same time, she added.
More tests, more confirmed cases
Concerns continue to grow over Bangladesh’s limited coronavirus testing capacity, with experts urging the government to focus on increasing daily tests to 10,000 samples to ensure a successful fight against the pandemic.
The government boosted the testing of Covid-19 samples throughout the country in early April. Tests were intensified further in mid-April, leading to a massive rise in the detection of Covid-19 infections.
Public health expert Rashid-e-Mahbub suggested that more tests be conducted to know the real situation.
With the recent surge in cases and deaths, it was imperative that testing be enhanced significantly to avert dire consequences for the population, he said.
“A lockdown without testing is like a gun without bullets,” he said, adding, the government should ensure about 10,000 tests a day.
According to data compiled by worldometer, the testing rate in Bangladesh now stands at 641 against per one million people — one of the lowest in Asia.