Health authorities of the country recorded the highest number of new Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic for the second time in three days Wednesday.
The test positivity rate was the second highest since the beginning.
The authorities warned that the capital Dhaka and port city Chittagong may be next to face the wave of Covid-19 that has been wreaking havoc in the border districts. Health experts said proper management of the next few days is critical to preventing a massive increase in deaths.
Government sources said they have completed preparations to the best of their ability, and they hope the high rates of infection in border districts, especially in Khulna and Rajshahi, would decrease within two weeks.
The latest Covid-19 situation report of the World Health Organization (WHO) painted a similar picture.
8,822 people test positive for Covid-19
According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 8,822 new cases were confirmed after testing 35,105 samples from 8am Tuesday till 8am Wednesday. The daily case positivity rate was 25.13%
The tests were completed in 565 labs across the country.
DGHS data said Dhaka division registered a 22.4% case positivity rate, while Mymensingh recorded 27.32%, Chittagong 25.47%, Rajshahi 20.11%, Rangpur 31.32%, Khulna 39.91%, Barishal 36.11% and Sylhet 32.71%.
Meanwhile, 115 people died from the disease over the same period. This is the second highest single-day death toll in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, with the record of 119 set three days earlier on Sunday.
A total 30 people died in Khulna division, the highest among all divisions Wednesday, followed by 23 in Chittagong and Rajshahi, and 17 in Dhaka division.
Dhaka district, including the capital city, recorded the highest number of deaths (11) while Chittagong and Kushtia districts registered 10 deaths each.
Khulna district recorded seven deaths.
Infection rate already rising in Dhaka, Chittagong
According to the latest weekly situation report on Bangladesh by WHO, Dhaka and Chittagong have observed a significant rise in infections over the last three weeks. The infection rate has also been rising in Barisal.
In the week from June 21-27, the number of cases in Barisal division increased by 118.3% to 738 from 338 in the previous week.
Mymensingh division experienced a 71.6% increase, Rangpur division 67.8%, Chittagong division 40.7%, Sylhet division 33.5%, Khulna division 31.7%, and Rajshahi division 12.4%.
According to the WHO report, the average number of weekly active Covid-19 cases increased by 23.9% compared to the previous week, while the weekly recoveries increased by 30.9%.
Worryingly, the report showed that the number of recoveries in Khulna and Rajshahi was decreasing. The case positivity rate in the divisions is still high, though decreasing in recent weeks.
Hospitals under pressure, 57 districts at high risk
The rising number of infections has been putting hospitals across the country under extreme pressure.
Sources from the DGHS said hospital beds are becoming occupied at an alarming rate, similarly to in April last year.
IEDCR Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) Dr Alamgir Hossain Tuesday told reporters that 57 out of 64 districts across the country are at high risk of increasing infections.
Lockdowns imposed in border districts had made some improvement, but the infection rates are still very high, he added.
He predicted that the situation at the districts would considerably improve if the countrywide lockdown can be properly enforced for the next two weeks.
“The situation in Dhaka and Chittagong is not good. They may become the next hotspots of infection if health measures are not properly enforced,” he further said.
