Vaccination drive
Bangladesh ready to kick off massive vaccination drive Saturday: DGHS DG
With a fresh stock of vaccine doses on hand, Bangladesh is set to gear up the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive to take it to the next level as it aims to inoculate 80% of its population with each person getting two doses administered.
Addressing a press briefing at BCPS auditorium on Friday, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr ABM Khurshid Alam said they are ready to accelerate the drive across the country on Saturday.
Read: Bangladesh to receive 34 lakh Sinopharm vaccine doses next week: FM
He said those above 25 years of age will be vaccinated, giving priority to senior people and women and physically-challenged ones.
Initially, he said, 35 lakh people will be vaccinated and those living in inaccessible remote areas will also be brought under the drive.
With 32,706 vaccinators and 48,459 volunteers ready, the government has planned to administer jabs simultaneously in 4,600 unions, 1,054 municipality areas, and in 433 wards of the city corporations, said Khurshid Alam.
Campaign timeline and areas:
On August 7, the vaccination campaign will kick off in all union, municipality and city corporation areas.
During August 8-9, vaccine jabs will be administered in the excluded wards of unions and municipal areas where already the campaign was underway.
During August 10-12, Covid jabs will be administered among Rohingya citizens over 55 years old.
Read:AL rank and file directed to mount campaign in favour of vaccination drive
Global Covid cases top 200 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surged past the grim milestone of 200 million, as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to devastate several countries even with mass inoculations underway.
The total caseload and fatalities from the virus stand at 200,136,419 and 4,254,976, respectively, as of Thursday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,265,470,393 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the globe, as per the university data.
Read: US plans to require COVID-19 shots for foreign travelers
The US has logged 35,331,683 cases and 614,797 deaths to date, according to the university data. The death toll in the United States is the highest in the world.
India recorded the world's second largest caseload of 31,769,132, followed by Brazil with 20,026,533 cases as well as the world's second largest death toll of 559,607. Besides, India’s death toll reached 425,757 on Thursday morning.
Countries with more than four million cases include Russia, France, Britain, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Italy and Iran, while those with over 100,000 deaths include India, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Britain, Italy, Colombia and France.
The global caseload reached the grim milestone of 100 million on January 26, and doubled in more than half a year.
Situation in Bangladesh
As the Covid infection rate continues to swell in Bangladesh, the country recorded 241 more deaths in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
Read: 241 more die in Bangladesh as Covid refuses to slow down
According to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 13,817 more people came out positive with the virus during the period after the test of 49,514 samples.
The fresh numbers have pushed the country’s death tally to 21,638, with the caseload mounting to 1,309,910.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate fell slightly to 27.91 % from Tuesday’s 28.58%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The recovery rate, however, rose to 87.12%, and the case fatality remained static at 1.65% compared to the same period, said the DGHS.
Read:Covid: Khulna aims to inoculate over 1.16 lakh residents
With the vaccination drive slowly gaining momentum, 216,534 people got their first Sinopharm jab during the period.
Besides, 11,898, 10,931 and 1,026 people received their second dose of Astrazeneca, Sinopharm and Moderna vaccines, respectively, during this period.
Bangladesh is planning to vaccinate one crore people during a special drive from August 7 to 12.
Covid: Khulna aims to inoculate over 1.16 lakh residents
Health authorities have set a target to inoculate over 1.16 lakh city residents in the first phase, amid a devastating second wave of the Covid pandemic.
The nationwide mass immunisation drive starts on August 7 and will continue till August 12. People above 18 years are eligible for getting a shot in the arm.
Read: Khulna division logs 31 Covid deaths in 24 hours
The mass immunisation programme will start in 31 wards of the city and there will be three centres in each ward, said Khulna City Corporation (KCC) health officer Swapan Haldar.
"Only Moderna vaccine doses will be given in the city. Some 200 women and men can get the jabs from each centre daily. As per the target, some 1,16,600 people would be covered under the vaccination programme," said Swapan.
Besides, centres will be opened in primary schools and the designated places selected by the councillors concerned to mitigate the huge demand for Covid vaccine doses.
Read:No movement without vaccine will be allowed after Aug. 11: Minister
Two vaccinators and three volunteers will be there at each centre. Already 186 vaccinators have been given training, the health officer said.
The mass vaccination drive will begin at 9 am and will continue till 3 pm daily, and all eligible vaccine candidates would be asked to maintain social distancing norms.
Read:Covid vaccination reduces chances of hospitalization, mortality: IEDCR study
The authorities will inform people through loudspeakers and all people have been asked to carry their NID card with them for taking vaccine doses.
The government is set to launch a nationwide mass vaccination drive from 14,000 vaccine centres from August 7, aimed at giving shots to one crore people in one week.
Global Covid cases top 199 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has now surpassed the 199-million mark as the world continues to grapple against the devastating second wave of the pandemic.
According to the US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count reached 199,499,792 while the death toll from the virus stood at 4,245,542 on Wednesday morning.
So far, 4,142,591,204 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
Read: More than 110M COVID vaccines sent to 60 countries, US says
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 35,231,310 cases. Besides, 614,263 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil has registered 1,209 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 558,432, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 19,985,817 after 32,316 new cases were detected.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
The South American country is experiencing a new wave of infections, which has overwhelmed hospitals, said the ministry.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 31,726,507 on Tuesday as 30,549 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry.
As many as 422 deaths were recorded since Monday morning, taking the death toll to 425,195.
Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening as the Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been detected in 124 territories worldwide, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Read:Looking for hotels for Covid patients as hospitals struggle: Minister
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid the merciless onslaught of Covid-19 in Bangladesh, the country recorded 236 more deaths linked to the virus in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
According to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 15,776 more people came out positive with the virus during the period after the test of 55,284 samples.
The fresh numbers pushed the country’s death tally to 21,397 on Tuesday, with the caseload mounting to 1,296,093.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate fell to 28.58 % from Monday's 29.91%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The country has been seeing over 14,300 cases and 230 deaths every day on an average for the last seven days.
The recovery rate, however, rose to 86.80%, and the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.65% compared to the same period, said the DGHS.
Amid the growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant, Dhaka division reported the highest 73 deaths, Chattogram 65, Khulna 32, Rajshahi 21, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh each 12, and Barishal eight deaths.
Lockdown extended
The government has extended the current lockdown till August 10 amid a surge in the Delta variant of Covid-19 across the country.
Read: Bangladesh’s Covid nightmare: 235 more die, 15,776 infected
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque announced the decision of the government while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
The government has made vaccination mandatory for people’s movement from August 11 and a decision has been taken to provide punitive action against those who will fail to get Covid shots in time.
The government is set to launch a mass vaccination drive at the village level from 14,000 vaccine centres from August 7, as one crore people will be inoculated in the next one week.
Global Covid cases near 199 million
The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching the 199-million mark as different countries continue their battle against the deadlier Delta variant of coronavirus amid slow vaccination rate.
According to US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 198,891,340 while the death toll from the virus reached 4,235,449 on Tuesday morning.
So far, 4,146,057,456 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read:Covid vaccination reduces chances of hospitalization, mortality: IEDCR study
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 35,131,393 cases. Besides, 613,679 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
According to AP, the US on Monday finally reached President Joe Biden’s goal of getting at least one Covid-19 shot into 70% of American adults -- a month late and amid a fierce surge by the Delta variant that is swamping hospitals and leading to new mask rules and mandatory vaccinations around the country.
Brazil recorded 389 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 557,223, the health ministry said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 19,953,501 after 15,143 new cases were detected.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 31,695,958 on Monday as 40,134 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, as many as 422 deaths due to the pandemic have been reported since Sunday morning, taking the total death toll to 424,773.
Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally, it is worsening as the Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been detected in 124 territories worldwide, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Read: Govt has set up 16,000 Covid beds since the beginning of pandemic: Zahid Maleque
Situation in Bangladesh
The scale of the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh looks to be overwhelming as the country added 246 fatalities to its national tally on Monday, reporting over 200 single-day fatalities for the last nine days.
The rapid rise in cases and fatalities, driven by the Delta variant, shows the worst days of the pandemic are far from over here since the pace of hospitalisation across the country remains relentless.
The Covid-19 infections are at their peak now, with 14,241 new cases reported on an average each day.
Bangladesh recorded 15,989 new cases on Monday after testing 53,462 samples, up from 13,862 logged on July 30.
The country reported the highest daily Covid-19 fatality number – 258 – on July 27 and 16,230 infections the next day.
There have been 1,280,317 infections and 21,262 coronavirus-related deaths here since the pandemic began, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate fell to 29.91% from Sunday's 29.97%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
However, the recovery rate rose to 86.60%, and the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.65% compared to the same period.
Read: Covid in Bangladesh: Seniors far more likely to face the worst
Amid growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant, Dhaka division reported the highest 76 deaths, Chattogram 64, Khulna 30, Rajshahi 22, Barishal 16, Sylhet and Rangpur 14 each, and Mymensingh 10.
So far, Bangladesh has administered at least 13,459,811 doses of Covid vaccines – enough to have vaccinated around 4% of the country's population, assuming every person needs two doses.
Logging highest 6,182 deaths and 336,226 new cases, July has become the most fatal month since the reporting of first Covid cases in the country in March 2020.
Covid vaccination reduces chances of hospitalization, mortality: IEDCR study
Vaccinated people face lower risks of respiratory problem, hospitalisation and fatality, according to a recent study of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.
According to the study 11% of unvaccinated Covid patients suffered from breathing difficulties whereas the rate was 4% among the vaccinated ones.
Read: Bangladesh receives around 8 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine
Besides, the hospital admission rate among those received double doses of Covid shots was only 7% while it was 23 % for the unvaccinated.
IEDCR conducted the study on 1,334 people aged above 30 and tested positive between May and June.
Of them, 592 did not receive a single vaccine dose and 306 were fully vaccinated.
Seventeen (3%) of the unvaccinated patients died while only one of the vaccinated ones (0.03%) died during this time.
Read: 30 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine to reach Dhaka Thursday night, Friday
Besides, 19(3%) of the unvaccinated group required ICU support while only 3(below 1 %) of the vaccinated ones needed it.
The study found that most of the patients who had to be hospitalized even after vaccination had underlying health complications.
Besides, presence of antibodies has been found among 98% of people who were vaccinated, according to a separate study of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital.
Read: Bangladesh receives 30 lakh Sinopharm vaccine jabs
The study suggested that antibodies have been found in people who got their vaccine after recovering from Covid-19.
The study was conducted on 209 people between April-July this year.
Global Covid cases top 198 mln
The overall number of global Covid cases surpassed 198-million mark as different countries continue their battle against deadlier variants of coronavirus amid slow vaccination rate.
Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening as the Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been detected in 124 territories worldwide, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Read: 'Moderate, severe forms predominant for Delta strain of Covid'
According to the US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count reached 198,283,776 while the death toll from the virus stood at 4,224,015 on Monday morning.
So far, 4,112,844,213 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 35,001,589 cases. Besides, 613,223 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil registered 464 more COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 556,834, the health ministry said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 19,938,358 with detection of 20,503 new cases.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
The South American country is experiencing a new wave of infections, which has overwhelmed hospitals, said the ministry.
Read: 'Different levels of antibodies needed for protection from Covid strains'
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 31,655,824 on Sunday as 41,831 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
As many as 541 deaths were recorded since Saturday morning, taking the death toll to 424,351.
Situation in Bangladesh
With the Delta variant of Covid-19 tearing through Bangladesh, the country reported 231 more deaths in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
Besides, 14,844 people came out positive for the virus after the test of 49,529 samples, said a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
It said the fresh cases took Bangladesh’s total fatality to 20,916 while the caseload to 1,264,328.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate marked a negligible fall to 29.97% from Saturday’s 30.24 %, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
However, the recovery rate rose to 86.47% from the previous day’s 86.29 % and the case fatality rate fell to 1.65% from last day’s 1.66 %, said the DGHS media release.
Read: Bangladesh faces harder days as Covid kills 231 more
During the 24-hour period, 15,054 patients recovered from the fatal disease.
Logging highest 6,182 deaths and 336,226 new cases, July has become the most fatal month since the reporting of first Covid cases in the country in March, 2020.
Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID cases
Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear masks indoors.
The state has become the new national epicenter for the virus, accounting for around a fifth of all new cases in the U.S. as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus continues to spread.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has resisted mandatory mask mandates and vaccine requirements, and along with the state Legislature, has limited local officials’ ability to impose restrictions meant to stop the spread of COVID-19. DeSantis on Friday barred school districts from requiring students to wear masks when classes resume next month.
Read:Pentagon grappling with new vaccine orders; timing uncertain
The latest numbers were recorded on Friday and released on Saturday on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. The figures show how quickly the number of cases is rising in the Sunshine State: only a day earlier, Florida reported 17,093 new daily cases. The previous peak in Florida had been 19,334 cases reported on Jan. 7, before the availability of vaccinations became widespread.
The state reported 409 deaths this week, bringing the total to more than 39,000 since its first in March 2020. The state’s peak happened in mid-August 2020, when 1,266 people died over a seven-day period. Deaths usually follow increases in hospitalizations by a few weeks.
DeSantis has blamed the surge on a seasonal increase — more Floridians are indoors because of the hot weather with air conditioning circulating the virus. About 60% of Floridians 12 and older are vaccinated, ranking it about midway among the states.
The Florida Hospital Association said Friday that statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations are nearing last year’s peak, and one of the state’s largest health care systems, AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, this week advised it would no longer be conducting nonemergency surgeries in order to free up resources for COVID-19 patients.
Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld on Saturday became the latest theme park resorts in Florida to again ask visitors to wear masks indoors, with Universal also ordering its employees to wear face coverings to protect against COVID-19, which has been surging across the state.
Read:Biden to launch vaccine push for millions of federal workers
All workers at Universal’s Florida park on Saturday started being required to wear masks while indoors as the employees returned to practicing social distancing. The home to Harry Potter and Despicable Me rides also asked visitors to follow federal and local health guidelines by voluntarily wearing face coverings indoors.
“The health and safety of our guests and team members is always our top priority,” Universal said in a statement.
Health officials on Friday announced that coronavirus cases in Florida had jumped 50% over the past week with COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state nearing last year’s peak.
SeaWorld on Saturday posted on its website that it was recommending that visitors follow recently updated federal recommendations and wear face coverings while indoors.
The change in policy this week at the theme park resorts came after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that everyone wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Read:Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?
Crosstown rival Walt Disney World started requiring employees and guests older than 2 to wear masks on Friday, but it also went a step further. The Walt Disney Co. said in a statement that it will be requiring all salaried and non-union hourly employees in the U.S. who work on site to be fully vaccinated.
Disney employees who aren’t already vaccinated will have 60 days to do so and those still working from home will need to show proof of vaccination before returning. Disney said it was discussing the vaccine requirements with the union, and added that all new hires will be required to be fully vaccinated before starting work at the company.
Global Covid situation worsening as cases near 198 million
The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching 198 million, as the world continues to battle against the devastating second wave of the pandemic.
Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening as the Delta variant of Covid-19 has now been detected in 124 territories worldwide, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 197,767, 859 while the death toll from the virus reached 4,215,888 on Sunday morning.
Read: Global Covid cases top 197mn as Delta variant presents new challenges
So far, 4,078,901,841 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 34,975,540 cases. Besides, 613,135 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil registered 910 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 556,370, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 19,917,855 after 37,582 new cases were detected.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 31,613,993 on Saturday as 41,649 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, as many as 593 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the total death toll to 423,810.
Situation in Bangladesh
As health authorities scramble to prevent the spread of the Delta variant, Bangladesh added 218 fatalities to its national tally on Saturday.
The country registered over 200 single-day fatalities for the last six days as it is fighting a horrific wave of the pandemic that overwhelmed its healthcare systems.
Read: Covid kills 218 more in Bangladesh as its catastrophe continues
The country recorded 9,369 new cases on Saturday after testing 30,980 samples, and reported the highest daily Covid-19 fatality number – 258 – on July 27 and 16,230 infections the next day, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
There have been 1,249,484 positive cases and 20,685 coronavirus-related deaths here since the pandemic began, the DGHS said.
Astrazeneca’s fresh rollout
On a positive note, Bangladesh will resume vaccination with Astrazeneca shots within the next few days, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
“We’ll resume vaccination with Astrazeneca jabs within the next 2-1 days. Those who failed to take the second dose after getting the first one will be able to get it now,” he said.
He said the government has an overall stock of 2 crore 60 lakh vaccine doses now.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday received the second consignment of AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan under the COVAX facility.
Read: Covid-19: What life is like when hospitals refuse admission!
The second consignment contains 7,81,320 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.
A cargo flight of Cathay Pacific that carried the vaccine doses from Japan landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 3:15 pm.
The third consignment that will contain 6,16,780 doses of the vaccine is scheduled to arrive here on August 3.
FM lauds Health Ministry’s vaccination efforts
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday appreciated the Health Ministry for its competency and efficiency in managing the vaccination programme nationwide.
He hoped that half of targeted people would be vaccinated within months if the current trend continues.
Read: Bangladesh receives around 8 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine
Bangladesh wants to vaccinate 80 percent people of the country in phases.
Dr Momen said the vaccine supply remains steady and there will be no problem to get adequate vaccine doses.
He was talking to reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after receiving the second consignment of AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Japan together with Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
Senior Secretary of Health Service Division Lokman Hossain Miah and Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Ito Naoki were also present.
The second consignment contains 7,81,320 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine.
Dr Momen expressed displeasure as some people are saying it will take five to six years to get all people vaccinated. "Vaccination for 1 crore people has been arranged within a week."
Appreciating the Health Ministry for its role, the Foreign Minister said they are doing an excellent job. "We're working together in a coordinated way and we're handling the COVID-19 situation very successfully so far," he said.
Dr Momen thanked the Health Ministry for addressing the issues of expatriates Bangladeshis and students who are willing to return to their studies abroad.
"Challenges are coming and we're facing those challenges, I think, pretty effectively and efficiently," said the Foreign Minister.
He urged all to follow health guidelines properly saying it is a war against Covid-19 and everyone has a responsibility.
"We're thankful to Japan. They've proved that they're real friend of all Bangladeshis," said Momen after receiving the vaccine consignment.
He said Japan, may be in the future, would be providing more and more support to deal with the situation.
Dr Momen said Covid-19 is a big global problem and no country can resolve it alone.
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said vaccine should be a public good and ownership of its technology should be shared by all the countries.
The third consignment of the vaccine that will contain 6,16,780 doses of AstraZeneca is scheduled to arrive here on August 3.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen received the first consignment of 2,45,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Japan on July 24.
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito said this is the manifestation of friendship and partnership.
During his recent telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, Dr Momen raised the vaccine issue and requested him to help Bangladesh with AstraZeneca vaccine supply.
He specifically mentioned the urgency of the AstraZeneca vaccine doses as a good number of people in Bangladesh did not get the second dose of AstraZeneca due to a supply gap.
Japan says it will stand by Bangladesh in the fight against Covid-19.
The Japanese Foreign Minister announced that 15 countries in the region will be provided with 11 million doses in total under the COVAX facility.