Bangladesh registered 43 deaths from Covid-19 in the 24 hours span till yesterday morning, the highest since May 10. On May 9, the country had recorded 56 Covid-19 deaths.
The country’s border districts recorded 20 deaths despite many restrictions that have been imposed. As a result, the government has decided to put more areas into lockdown
Of the 43 deceased, including 30 men and 13 women, 12 each were from Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions, eight from Chittagong, five from Khulna, three from Rangpur, two Mymensingh, and one from Sylhet division.
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital Director Brig Gen Shamim Yazdani said: “Apart from this, four patients died with symptoms of the coronavirus.”
Deaths with Covid-19 symptoms have also increased in Chapainawabganj, Khulna and Satkhira.
Satkhira under lockdown
The local administration in Satkhira yesterday imposed a week-long lockdown in the district following a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases.
The decision has been taken to break the chain of coronavirus transmission after the test positivity rate in the district was found to be 53%, officials said.
On Friday, two women who were undergoing treatment at Satkhira Medical College and Hospital for Covid-19 succumbed to the virus, while three more persons with coronavirus symptoms also died the same day.
According to administration officials, more Covid-19 cases have been detected in three upazilas - Sadar, Kalaroa and Kaliganj – that are bordering India. The infection is on the rise in other upazilas as well.
During the week-long lockdown, all modes of public transport will stay off the roads. The movement restrictions will not apply for vehicles providing emergency services.
Although kitchen markets will be allowed to operate from 9am till 12pm, daily, other shops and markets will remain closed.
Activities at Bhomra land port will run from 8am to 2pm, but the shops and markets in the area will remain closed.
Gopalganj locked down as Indian variant detected
The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has confirmed the presence of the Delta variant, also known as the Indian variant, of coronavirus in seven samples that were sent out from Gopalganj.
The patients are currently quarantined at their respective homes in Telivita and Kalivita villages under the Sadar upazila.
Meanwhile, to prevent further transmission of the Delta variant, the upazila administration has decided to put both villages under a 7-day strict lockdown starting last morning.
Gopalganj Civil Surgeon Dr Sujat Ahmed disclosed the information via a press briefing on yesterday afternoon.
He said: “Earlier, 50 samples out of a total of 252 samples collected from Boultali, Sahapur and Satpar unions tested positive for Covid-19.
“Of these, the presence of the Delta variant has been found in seven samples after a total of 11 samples were sent to Dhaka’s IEDCR for genome sequencing on May 28.”
Deputy Commissioner Shahida Sultana said: “A strict lockdown has been declared in Televita and Kalivita villages since the presence of the Delta variant was found in those two villages. Necessary steps have been taken so that no one can travel in and out of the two villages. During the lockdown period, the administration will provide necessary aid to the area.”
Some unions of Noakhali set for lockdown
The district administration has announced a seven-day special lockdown in six unions of Noakhali to break the surge in Covid-19 transmission.
The unions are: Noyannai, Binodpur, Qadir Hanif, Neyazpur, Ashwadia, and Noakhali under Sadar upazila and municipality.
The restrictions come into effect from 6am yesterday, and remain in place till June 11.
Md Khorshed Alam, deputy commissioner of Noakhali, revealed the measures to the press on Friday, following a meeting of the district coronavirus prevention committee.
A total of 589 people tested positive for Covid-19 and four died in the district in the last seven days.
Other lockdowns in districts
The administrations of frontier districts, including Rajshahi, Khulna, and parts of Naogaon, have imposed lockdowns and restrictions to stop the spike in coronavirus cases.
The government has given local administrations the authority to enforce lockdowns in their areas if the Covid-19 situation deteriorates there.
Daily tally
The total number of deaths has reached 12,801 in the country with the latest 43 fatalities, according to figures released by the health directorate yesterday.
The country also logged a total of 1,447 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 809,314.
The latest figures show an infection rate of 11.03%. As many as 13,115 samples, including pending ones, were tested at 509 authorized labs across the country.
The daily test-positivity rate remained below 10% for four consecutive days from Monday to Thursday before crossing that mark again on Friday (10.4%).
To date, 6,034,260 tests have been conducted in the country, leading to an overall infection rate of 13.41%.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 7,255 people have died in Dhaka division, 2,445 in Chittagong, 721 in Rajshahi, 810 in Khulna, 388 in Barisal, 470 in Sylhet, 482 in Rangpur, and 160 in Mymensingh. The mortality rate against the total number of cases detected so far stands at 1.54%.
The health authorities said 1,667 people recovered from the disease over the preceding 24 hours. So far, 749,425 patients – 92.60% – have made full recoveries across the country.
