News Desk :
The number of swab samples collected by the authorities to run COVID-19 tests has dropped by 6,000 even as the coronavirus pandemic pummels Bangladesh.
The health directorate collected 18,770 samples in the 24 hours to 8am on Thursday, according to the latest government data, reports bdnews24.com.
As many as 24,995 samples were in the previous 24 hours-the day before the nationwide lockdown came into effect.
Public transports have been staying off the road since the start of the latest shutdown on Wednesday, with the police stopping and levying fines on people who are outdoors without a valid cause.
On Wednesday, 24,825 samples were tested in 255 laboratories across the country while the number was 24,255 the following day.
The number came down to 19,959 on Thursday with 4,192 people testing positive for COVID-19, yielding a positivity rate of 21 percent.
Over 5.09 million samples have been tested until now, putting the overall infection rate at 13.80 percent.
Bangladesh reported its first case of the coronavirus on Mar 8 last year. The caseload has since surged to 707,362 while the death toll surpassed 10,000 on Thursday.
