Covid positivity rate jumps to 17.82%

Within just a span of week, Covid-19 infection rate went up to 17.82 per cent while daily positive cases crossed 5,000 mark on Sunday.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), testing 29,305 samples in 854 laboratories across the country 5,222 people were found Covid positive within 24 hours till 8am on Sunday.

The report of the health department also said eight more people were killed during the time raising the total death to 28,144 while the total number of infections was 16,17,711.

Of the dead, five are male and three are female.

Four of the deaths were reported in Dhaka division, three in Chattogram division and the remaining one death in Sylhet division, according to the DGHS data.

The number of Covid positive cases and deaths is on the rise since the onset of Omicron strain.

DGHS Director Nazmul Islam said the Covid-19 positivity rate and death both jumped by a significant number within a week and the trend continues to go up. “On the basis of total number of infections it increased by 222 per cent and the death by 61 per cent in a week till Saturday,” he added.

The physician maintained that 96 per cent of infected people are recovering from the viral disease.

In the last 24 hours, 293 Covid patients came round raising the total number of recovery to 15,52,893 since the country first detected Covid-19 positive case in March 2020.

DGHS officials said as infection sharply rose in different districts, more people rushed for Covid test. They have tested 36 per cent more samples in the laboratories.

Daily case crosses 5,000 mark

On December 18, Bangladesh reported 122 coronavirus positive cases when positivity rate was 1 per cent and four deaths were reported.

It was 51 per cent higher than the previous day.

In a day, Bangladesh recorded 5,249 Covid positive cases on August 24, which is a nearest high number.