Bangladesh on Tuesday reported 258 deaths from Covid-19 in a 24-hour period, the highest-ever single-day fatalities in the country from the deadly infection.
Health authorities also logged 14,925 fresh infections in the last 24 hours till 8:00am Tuesday.
With the latest figures, the total fatalities in the country now stand at 19,779 and the total cases at 11,94,752, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily infection rate fell slightly to 28.44 per cent from Monday's 29.82 per cent.
In a 24-hour period, 12,439 patients recovered from the deadly infection with an overall recovery rate of 85.58 per cent.
During this period, health authorities tested 55,159 samples in 639 laboratories across the country.
The overall infection rate is gradually increasing and currently stands at 15.81 per cent.
Dhaka division saw the highest 84 deaths in the last 24 hours, followed by 61 in Chattogram, 50 in Khulna, 21 in Rajshahi, 13 in Barishal, 11 each in Rangpur and Mymensingh and seven in Sylhet.
All will get Covid vaccine shots, reassures PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina earlier on Tuesday reaffirmed her government's stance to ensure Covid-19 vaccine doses for all in any case.
She said this while inaugurating National Public Service Day 2018 and distributing Public Administration Award 2018 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
Walk-in Covid-19 vaccination at union level from August 7
The Cabinet on Tuesday decided to begin Covid-19 vaccination of rural people through Union Parishad from August 7, confirmed Health Minister Zahid Maleque at a press briefing after a high-level Cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.
It would be a walk-in vaccination programme as people would be allowed to receive vaccine shots just by showing their national identity cards (NID), he said.
The minister said the government was planning to strengthen the countrywide mass vaccination programme against novel coronavirus and this decision was part of it.
At the rural level, the inoculation programme would be carried out by setting up temporary camps at community clinics, union health centres, educational institutions etc, he added.
Factories to remain shut till end of lockdown
The government, at the same meeting, decided not to allow factories to open during the ongoing lockdown that will continue till August 5, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan briefed media.
He said due to a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases, the government cannot accept the request of factory owners to allow production amid the ongoing strict lockdown.
He also said that there was no discussion for a lockdown extension at the meeting.
Vaccine updates
Bangladesh is running a mass vaccination campaign.
Until Tuesday morning, 14,85,212 people received the first dose and 12,069 received the second dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
Meanwhile, 50,235 people have received the first jab of the Pfizer vaccine, with 288 receiving the second dose.
A total of 4,21,950 people received the first shot of the Moderna vaccine, including 58,046 in the past 24 hours.
Of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses, 58,20,033 received the first shot and 42,98,086 got the second shot so far.
So far, the country has received 2,12,45,000 doses from four vaccine makers of various countries. Of these, 1,05,45,000 were Oxford-AstraZeneca, 55 lakh Moderna, 51 lakh Sinopharm and 1 lakh Pfizer vaccines.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8, 2020, and the first coronavirus-related death on March 18 the same year.
