Staff Reporter :
The novel coronavirus infection rates are getting higher subsequently in the country, as it has registered over 3,500 daily cases for two days in a row after eight long months.
The country logged a total of 3,567 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning, taking the total number of infections to 580,808.
It was on July 2 when the country recorded a higher single-day caseload of 4,019. Since then, the number of daily cases remained below the 3,500 mark, until Tuesday when the number of daily infections stood at 3,554. The month of March is seeing an upward trend of rising cases day by day. On March 1, 585 new Covid-19 cases were recorded, after almost a month of a lower rate of infections, and on Monday, 2,809 cases were detected.
The death toll climbed to 8,763 after 25 fatalities were recorded in the 24-hour period, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a press release.
On the other hand, Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday said, three thousand more beds will be added to hospitals across the country in the wake of sharp rise in coronavirus cases.
The minister revealed this while responding to questions from reporters following a meeting on MBBS admission test at his ministry’s conference room. “The number of Covid patients need to be reduced fast. If the current rate of virus infection continues, it won’t be possible to tackle the situation with the existing arrangements,” he said.
“We’ve made some non-Covid hospitals Corona dedicated hospitals. We’ve also issued instructions to increase beds at Lalkuthi Hospital, Mohanagar Hospital, Government Employees Hospital and Kurmitola Hospital,” the minister said.
Outside Dhaka, the concerned authorities in Tongi, Gazipur and Tangail have also been asked to take necessary measures, he said, adding, “If we can do these, we’ll be able to create 3000 new beds.”
Asked if there is any decision on any general holiday or lockdown in a situation where the number of corona cases is on the rise, he said no decision has been taken yet. “This decision will come from the top level. If any decision is taken, we’ll inform [you].”
In order to control the spread of Covid-19 infections, the minister said, there is no alternative to reducing public gatherings and social events.
Meanwhile, a total of 27,502 samples were tested in government and private testing facilities in 24 hours – the highest number of samples tested in a single day since Covid-19 broke out in the country on March 8, 2020. Total 25,954 samples were tested on Tuesday.
Of the 25 deceased – 18 men and seven women – 18 were from Dhaka division, three from Chittagong, and one each from Rangpur, Rajshahi, Barisal, and Sylhet divisions.
All the victims died while treatment at different hospitals across the country.
So far, 6,625 men (75.60%) and 2,138 women (24%) have died from Covid-19 across the country.
Since the beginning, 4,947 people have died in Dhaka division, 1,606 in Chittagong, 489 in Rajshahi, 570 in Khulna, 266 in Barisal, 316 in Sylhet, 370 in Rangpur, and 199 in Mymensingh.
The mortality rate against the total number of cases detected so far stands at 1.51%.
The health authorities said 1,915 people recovered from the disease over the preceding 24 hours.
So far, 527,909 patients – 90.89% – have made full recovery across the country.
The latest figures show an infection rate at 12.97%. The overall infection rate in the country stands at 12.94%.
Currently, 10,339 people are in isolation and 33,950 are quarantined.
Also, more than 6.4 million people registered around the country to get the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine till Wednesday afternoon, said the health directorate.
Until Tuesday, over 4.9 million people have been vaccinated nationwide since January 27.
