With hospitals overwhelmed amid a deadly second wave, Rangpur Division has logged 16 deaths from the coronavirus in the 24 hours to Monday.
Of them, seven were reported in the Rangpur district while three each were from Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts, and one each from Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, and Kurigram.
The latest figures take the total fatalities in the division to 854.
During the same time, 678 new infections have been logged, taking the caseload in the northern division to 40,744 since the pandemic began.
Rangpur reported 155 cases, the highest among the districts, followed by Dinajpur with 103 infections.
A total of 2,408 samples were tested in labs across the division for a positivity rate of 27.36%.
Infections had increased at an alarming rate in the bordering districts of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, and Rangpur, said Zakirul Islam, director of the Rangpur Divisional Health Department
The problem stems from improper hygiene practices and not using masks, according to him.