Bangladesh recorded 119 Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, its highest-ever single-day fatalities since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Earlier on April 19 this year, the country saw highest 112 deaths in a single day.
The mortality rate remains at 1.59 per cent, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a press release.
In a 24-hour period until Sunday morning, the health authorities confirmed 5,268 new cases. The infection rate fell to 21.59%.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8 last year and the first coronavirus-related death on March 18 that year. So far, the country has seen 14,172 deaths and confirmed 8,88,406 cases.
Until Sunday, 8,04,103 patients (90.51 per cent) recovered.
The total number of tests carried out since the pandemic broke out in the country is 65,06,781, including 24,400 in the last 24 hours. The overall infection rate is gradually increasing and currently stands at 13.65 per cent.
Among the latest deaths, Khulna division saw the highest 32 deaths, followed by 24 in Dhaka, and 22 each in Chattogram and Rajshahi.
Besides, nine died in Rangpur division, five in Sylhet, three in Mymensingh, and two in Barishal.
The majority of the victims (10,118) are men and the rest (4,054) are women.
Strict lockdown from July 1
In light of the deteriorating Covid situation, the government decided to impose a seven-day strict lockdown across Bangladesh from July 1, revising its earlier decision to enforce it from June 28.
The fresh decision was taken at a high-level virtual meeting presided over by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Saturday evening.
The meeting, however, decided to enforce a limited scale lockdown from June 28 to 30.
Earlier on Friday, the government announced that a strict seven-day countrywide lockdown will be enforced from June 28 to curb the virus’ spread.
The decision came following the recommendation of National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19.
NTAC suggested enforcing a minimum of 14-day complete shutdown to stem the tide of infection.
The World Health Organization, in its latest report, said at least 40 districts of the country are at high risk of infection.
Meanwhile, the government's announcement of the complete lockdown from June 28 has triggered a mass exodus of homebound people from Dhaka.
On June 21, the government announced a nine-day lockdown in seven districts of Dhaka division.
Restrictions have been enforced in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Rajbari, Madaripur, and Gopalganj from June 22 to 30.
The government had earlier imposed restrictions on movement on April 5 this year. They were extended until July 15 in phases.
Although the number of cases and deaths declined to some extent, the situation went downhill in recent weeks as people are still reluctant to follow basic health rules and continue to flout government-issued guidelines.
The Covid-19 situation in the bordering districts has deteriorated in recent days, prompting the local administration to enforce full-scale lockdown in some areas.
Bangladesh shut its border with India on April 26 as the neighbouring country’s coronavirus situation worsened. The closure was extended in phases until June 30.
Amid the spike in Covid cases triggered by local transmission of the Indian variant (Delta), experts predicted that Bangladesh might see the peak of the current wave of the deadly virus in the third week of July next.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh on June 21 started administering Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses while it resumed the inoculation of Sinopharm doses on June 19.
People who have already registered are getting the jabs.
The country received 11,00,000 Sinopharm doses from China and over 1,00,000 doses of Pfizer under the Covax facility run by the WHO and Gavi, the vaccine alliance.
The countrywide vaccination drive was launched on February 7 with doses bought from Serum Institute of India Private Limited.
So far, 58,20,015 people have received the first dose of Covishield manufactured by SII since January 27. Of them, 42,83,842 have received the second shots so far, according to the health authorities.
A vaccine export halt by India had forced Bangladesh to keep administering the first dose suspended since April 26.
As many as 39,472 people received the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine and 418 others took the second shot until Saturday.
Some 240 people have taken the Pfizer shots so far.
