Ten more Covid-19 patients died while the positivity rate reached 40.79 per cent on Wednesday in Rangpur division amid a quickly rising positivity rate and declining recovery rate.
Health officials said the ten deaths were reported from Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Gaibandha raising the number of casualties to 529 in the division where the fatality rate remains above the two per cent mark in recent weeks.
“Some 137 patients died from May 30 to June 30, the highest number of deaths in a month since the outbreak of the pandemic in the division,” Focal Person of the Covid-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr ZA Siddiqui said.
The district-wise break up of the 529 fatalities stands at 114 in Rangpur, 189 in Dinajpur, 87 in Thakurgaon, 38 in Nilphamari, 27 in Kurigram, 22 in Panchagarh, 25 in Gaibandha and 27 in Lalmonirhat districts of the division.
“The average casualty rate currently stands at two per cent in the division,” Dr Siddiqui said.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases speedily climbed to 26,445 as 465 more patients were reported after testing 1,140 samples at the positivity rate of 40.79 per cent on Wednesday in the division.
Earlier, the daily positivity rates were 31.32 per cent on Tuesday, 40.43 per cent on Monday, 42.21 per cent positivity rate on Sunday, 37.03 per cent on Saturday and 27.01 per cent on Friday last in the division.
“The district-wise break up of total 26,445 patients now stands at 6,030 Rangpur, 1,071 Panchagarh, 1,886 in Nilphamari, 1,502 in Lalmonirhat, 1,811 in Kurigram, 3,384 in Thakurgaon, 8,619 in Dinajpur and 2,142 in Gaibandha of the division,” he said.
As of Wednesday, the district-wise daily positivity rates were 43 per cent in Rangpur, 58 per cent in Panchagarh, 23 per cent in Nilphamari, 76 per cent in Lalmonirhat, 44 per cent in Kurigram, 54 per cent in Thakurgaon, 38 per cent in Dinajpur and 31 per cent in Gaibandha.
Since the beginning, a total of 1,56,078 collected samples were tested till Wednesday, and of them, 26,445 were found Covid-19 positive with an average positivity rate of 16.94 per cent.
Talking to BSS, Acting Divisional Director (Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 20,138 with recovery of 272 more on Wednesday at the average recovery rate of 76.15 per cent in the division.
“The average recovery rate of Covid-19 infected patients was 97.55 per cent three and a half months ago on March 9 last in the division where the same sharply dropped by 21.40 per cent to 76.15 per cent on Wednesday,” Dr Islam said.
“The 20,138 recovered patients include 5,085 of Rangpur, 845 of Panchagarh, 1,650 of Nilphamari, 1,200 of Lalmonirhat, 1,294 of Kurigram, 1,997 of Thakurgaon, 6,237 of Dinajpur and 1,830 of Gaibandha districts in the division,” he said.
Among the 26,445 infected patients, 367 are undergoing treatments at isolation units, including 24 critical patients at ICU beds and 11 at High Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 20,138 patients and 529 deaths while 5,699 are remaining in home isolation.
“Meanwhile, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine rose to 6,02,052 and among them, 3,88,770 got the second dose of the jab till Wednesday in the division,” Dr Islam added.
Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu urged all to strictly abide by the health directives amid the hastily rising infection rate in the division.
