The overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 271 million as scientists around the world race to learn about the Omicron variant’s transmissibility and severity.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 271,418,965 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,320,236 Tuesday morning.
The US has recorded 50,233,338 cases so far and more than 800,343 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,195,775 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 616,970.
India has registered 5,784 new cases of Covid-19 during a 24-hour period, bringing the total caseload to 34,703,644, as per the health ministry figures released Monday.
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The ministry also reported 252 more deaths during the same period, taking the total death toll to 475,888.
Eight new cases of Omicron were reported in India on Tuesday -- four have been reported from the national capital region and the remaining four from the western state of Rajasthan – taking the total tally of the new Covid variant in the country to 49.
Meanwhile, the UK reported the first death of a patient infected with Omicron on Monday. Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centres across England as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the variant.
The UK, as of Wednesday morning, logged 10,995,311 Covid-19 cases, while the fatalities mounted to 147,085.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported three more Covid-related deaths with 295 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the latest cases, the daily case positivity rate declined to 1.29 percent from Monday’s 1.72 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The total fatalities mounted to 28,034 while the caseload mounted to 15,80,005 with the fresh cases.
Two of the latest deceased were men and one was a woman.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 percent during the period.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 22,773 samples, said the directorate.
Besides, the recovery rate slightly declined to 97.76 percent with the recovery of 247 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On Saturday, Bangladesh reported the first two cases of the Omicron variant of Covid.
On December 9, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was then apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
So far, 4,35,95,449 people have fully been vaccinated in the country while 6,71,31,490 received the first dose as of Monday, according to the directorate.
Among them, 2,61,384 students, aged from 12-17, have fully been vaccinated while 14,66,745 students received the first dose so far.