Bangladesh on Friday recorded 54 deaths from Covid-19, taking the overall death toll to 13,399.
So far, 9,623 men (71.82%) and 3,776 women (28.18%) have died from Covid-19 across the country.
The infection rate climbed to 18.59% with 3,883 people testing positive for the coronavirus in the 24 hours till Friday morning. As many as 20,882 samples, including pending ones, were tested at 528 authorized labs across the country.
The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 now stands at 844,970.
To date, 6,288,539 tests have been conducted in the country, leading to an overall infection rate of 13.44%. The mortality rate against the total number of cases detected so far stands at 1.59%.
Meanwhile, 778,421 patients — 92.12% of all infected — have recovered from Covid-19 across the country.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) released the latest figures on Covid-19 in the country through a press release on Friday afternoon.
Health minister worried
During a views-exchange meeting in Manikganj on Friday, Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the current Covid-19 situation in the northern regions of Bangladesh was worrisome.
“Hospitals in the northern districts are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. We do not want the same situation in Dhaka and other districts of the country,” he said, reports Bangla Tribune.
Also Read - Global Covid-19 death toll exceeds 4 million
“Right now, around 4,000 Covid-19 patients are hospitalized and almost 4,000 new patients are getting infected every day. It is going to be difficult for our health system to provide healthcare for this many patients,” the minister added.
He went on: “If Covid-19 cases increase and the lockdown needs to be extended further, there may be restrictions on vehicular movement. Eventually, our economy will feel the impact.”
54 deaths
Of the 54 deceased, 26 were aged over 60, while 15 were aged between 51 and 60, seven aged between 41 and 50, five aged between 31 and 40, and one between 21 and 30. They included 35 men and 19 women.
Among them, 15 were from Chittagong division, 12 each from Dhaka and Rajshahi, eight from Khulna, four from Barisal, two from Sylhet and one from Mymensingh.
Since the pandemic hit the country in March last year, a total of 7,343 people have died in Dhaka division, 2,572 in Chittagong, 849 in Rajshahi, 931 in Khulna, 403 in Barisal, 498 in Sylhet, 523 in Rangpur and 280 in Mymensingh.
District hospitals under pressure
At the Covid-19 unit of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), 12 more people died in the 24 hours to 8am on Friday.
Among them, six patients tested positive for Covid-19 while the rest only exhibited symptoms, said RMCH Director Brig Gen Shamim Yeazdani.
Of the deceased in the division, five were from Rajshahi district, three from Naogaon, and two each from Chapainawabganj and Natore districts.
The RMCH Covid unit has logged 183 deaths in the last 18 days. Among them, 102 tested positive for the disease.
The hospital admitted 41 new patients on Friday.
At least six more people have died of Covid-19 at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) in the last 24 hours.
Five of the deceased tested positive for the virus, while the remaining one died with symptoms, said Dr Suhas Ranjan Halder, spokesperson of the hospital’s Covid-19 unit.
In the last 24 hours, 45 new Covid-19 patients were admitted to the hospital while 36 were released. Currently, 168 patients are undergoing treatment in the hospital: 106 in the red zone, 25 in the yellow zone, 20 in high dependency units (HDU), and 17 in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Thakurgaon logged 109 fresh Covid cases in the 24 hours till Friday morning, the district's highest single-day spike this year.
The new infections were detected after tests on 374 samples and have pushed up the district’s test positivity rate to 29.14%.
So far, 2,266 people in Thakurgaon have been infected with the coronavirus, while 51 have died from the disease.
Meanwhile, the district administration on Thursday ordered the closure of all cattle markets in Thakurgaon for a week to contain the spread of coronavirus. The district and upazila authorities have also imposed strict restrictions, including a closure of all shops in the district by 5pm.
