With another 30 deaths from coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours, Bangladesh has not only surpassed the 2,300 mark in fatalities, but also recorded the second lowest toll in a single day since June 5.
The country on June 5 logged the same number of deaths from the deadly virus and after that the lowest body count (29) was recorded on July 4.
The latest toll (30), recorded between Friday and Saturday mornings, pushed up the number of total fatalities to 2,305.
The daily online bulletin of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) revealed the latest figures on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the country has logged more than 181,000 Covid-19 cases with 2,686 people testing positive in the last 24 hours.
With this development, the number of total confirmed cases jumped to 181,129.
DGHS Additional Director General (Administration) Prof Nasima Sultana, presenting the bulletin, said 1,628 people had recovered from the disease over the preceding 24 hours.
So far, a total of 88,034 patients — 48.60% of all infected — have made full recovery across the country, since the first Covid-19 cases were recorded on March 8.
The new fatalities
Of the 30 deceased, including 25 men, the highest figure of 13 was from Dhaka division, 10 from Chittagong, three each from Rajshahi and Khulna and one from Barisal division.
Eighteen died in different hospitals, 11 at home and one was brought dead to a hospital, according to the DGHS.
So far, 1,824 (79.13%) men and 481 (20.87%) women have died from Covid-19 across the country, it added.
The mortality rate against the total number of cases detected so far stands at 1.27%.
Covid-19 deaths in Bangladesh crossed the 1,000 mark on June 10. The toll reached 2,000 on July 5.
On June 30, the country recorded 64 deaths, which is the highest in a 24-hour span till now.
Highest infection rate
Overtaking the continued trend of one in every five suspected patients testing positive for Covid-19, almost one-fourth of the samples tested in the past 24 hours turned out positive.
Between Friday and Saturday mornings, some 11,193 samples were tested across the country and 2,686 new patients were confirmed.
The average infection rate since late May was almost 20%, meaning one out of five people came out Covid-19 positive over the period.
However, the latest figures depict an infection rate of 24%, which is the highest till date.
The previous highest infection rate was 23.39% as recorded on June 18, followed by 23.12% on June 27.
The infection rate for the first time crossed the 20% mark on May 25 and since then the daily rate of people testing coronavirus positive has been fluctuating around it.
Lowest tests since May 30
The country has witnessed the lowest Covid-19 tests conducted in nearly six weeks, especially at a time when experts have been insisting on increasing testing facilities.
On June 26, the country conducted 18,498 Covid-19 tests - the highest daily tests in one day - when 3,868 people tested positive for Covid-19 infection.
The last time when fewer than 10,000 tests were conducted was on May 30. On that day, 9,987 tests were conducted, with 1,764 cases being detected.
It is worth mentioning that the number of tests is on a downward trend amid allegations of a shortage of testing kits— something the government has been refuting for the past few days.
Though several top officials of the Health Ministry earlier said the number of tests would be raised gradually, the fall in tests being conducted is showing a reverse picture.
Bangladesh hosting second most active cases in Asia
In terms of having the most number of active cases, Bangladesh now ranks second in Asia, after India.
According to Worldometer, as of Saturday afternoon, the US topped the global list of active cases while Bangladesh was in the 7th spot.
Situation at dedicated Covid-19 hospitals
In the Dhaka metropolitan area, 2,194 patients are undergoing treatment at general beds in the dedicated Covid-19 hospitals, while 105 others are being treated in intensive care units (ICUs).
In Chittagong city, 331 people are taking treatment in general beds and 21 in ICUs.
"Besides, a total of 11,275 oxygen cylinders are currently in use across Bangladesh," the DGHS official said.
