Vaccination drive
Global Covid-19 cases surpass 175.5 million
More than 175.5 million people have been detected globally with Coronavirus infections amid the emergence of its new variants.
The global case count and fatalities now stand at 175,567,564 and 3,791,424 respectively as of Sunday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
To date, some 2,314, 059,718 people have been vaccinated globally, as per JHU data.
Read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Positivity rate hits 14.12%, highest in 50 days
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 33,457,378 cases and 599,664 deaths, Johns Hopkins figures reveal.
Brazil registered 2,037 deaths from Covid-19, bringing the death toll in the country to 486,272, the Ministry of Health reported on Saturday.
In the last 24 hours, 78,700 new cases of Covid-19 were reported, for a total of 17,374,818 infections.
The average cases over the last seven days were 66,770, while that of deaths 1,963.
Brazil is currently second in the world in number of deaths from Covid-19, surpassed only by the United States, and third in cases, behind the United States and India.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 29,359,155 on Saturday, with 84,332 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said its federal health ministry.
Read: Global Covid-19 cases surpass 175 million
Besides, 4,002 Covid-19 patients have died since Friday morning, taking the death toll to 367,081.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 1,637 new Covid cases with the positivity rate hitting 14.12% in 24 hours until Saturday morning.
The positivity rate went up again from Friday’s 13.39 percent, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
This is the highest in 50 days since April 23 this year when the country reported 14% Covid positivity rate.
Besides, 39 people died due to Covid-19 during the period, pushing up the death toll to 13,071, while the caseload reached 8,24,486 with the logging of the new cases.
Vaccination drive
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the approval for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Read: Week-long lockdown in Kushtia municipality areas to contain Covid spread
The country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
However, Bangladesh will get some 10.8 lakh doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine soon under the COVAX initiative, said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen Friday, adding that the source of this supply has not been disclosed to Bangladesh.
The country needs at least 15 lakh doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine immediately.
Global Covid cases near 174 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed 173.5 million, with the world still struggling to contain the second outbreak of the virus.
The total caseload and fatalities from the virus stand at 173,538,801 and 3,734,654, respectively, as of Tuesday morning, as per the latest data released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 2,139,732,834 doses of vaccine have been administered across the globe, as per the university data.
The US has logged 33,377,632 cases and 597,946 fatalities to date, the highest death toll in the world, according to the university.
Read:US delivers emergency medical supplies to Bangladesh to combat COVID-19
India's total tally rose to 28,909,975, with 100,636 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, said the federal health ministry.
Besides, as many as 2,427 deaths since Sunday morning pushed the overall death toll to 349,186. This is the first time in the past 45 days when daily deaths due to the pandemic dipped to below the 2,500-mark.
Brazil registered 1,010 more deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, pushing up the nationwide tally to 474,414, the health ministry said on Monday.
A total of 37,156 new infections were detected during the period, raising the caseload to 16,984,218, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid death toll, after the United States, and the third-largest caseload, behind the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid the rising infections in frontier districts, Bangladesh on Monday reported 1,970 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours.
The deadly virus also claimed 30 more lives during the period, pushing up the death toll to 12,869.
Read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: New cases get close to 2,000; 30 more die
The total number of coronavirus cases climbed to 8,12,960 with the fresh ones.
Vaccination drive
Around 7,363 people have received the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the past 24 hours.
A total number of 42,16,696 people have so far got their dose of this vaccine, while the number is 58,20,015 for the first dose.
Besides, the total number of people receiving their first jab of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine reached 2,162 during the period.
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the approval for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, seven million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine reached Bangladesh, and the governments of India and China gave 3.2 million doses and 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine as gifts, respectively.
Read:Indian cities unlocking after declining COVID-19 infections
However, the country, the prime recipient of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
High vaccination can help reduce risk of variants: WHO
A top World Health Organization official estimated Monday that Covid vaccination coverage of at least 80% is needed to significantly lower the risk that “imported” coronavirus cases like those linked to new variants could spawn a cluster or a wider outbreak, reports AP.
Dr Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, told a news conference that ultimately, “high levels of vaccination coverage are the way out of this pandemic".
Many rich countries have been moving to vaccinate teenagers and children — who have lower risk of more dangerous cases of Covid-19 than the elderly or people with comorbidities — even as those same countries face pressure to share vaccines with poorer ones that lack them.
Global caseload above 173mn; UK wants to vaccinate the world in 18 months
With new variants of Covid-19 spreading rapidly, the global Covid-19 caseload on Monday crossed the grim milestone of 173 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count and fatalities now stand at 173,197, 944 and 3,726, 107, respectively.
The US, the world's worst-hit country in terms of cases and deaths, have recorded 33,362,471 cases with 597,627 fatalities to date, as per the JHU data.
Read: Indian cities unlocking after declining COVID-19 infections
Brazil continues to rank second in the world in number of deaths from the pandemic behind the United States and third in number of confirmed cases following the United States and India.
Brazil on Sunday registered another 873 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the death toll to 473,404, Brazil's Ministry of Health reported.
It also reported a total of 39,637 new cases on Sunday, bring the total number of confirmed cases to 16,947,062.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 28,809,339 on Sunday with 114,460 new cases reported in the past 24 hours, the lowest single-day increase in the past two-months, said the federal health ministry.
A total of 2,677 deaths since Saturday morning took the overall death toll to 346,759.
Meanwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will use the Group of Seven wealthy democracies’ summit next week to urge world leaders to commit to vaccinating the global population by the end of 2022.
Read: Increase in Covid-19 vaccine production in India to be 'game changer' beyond borders: US
Johnson is expected to stress the importance of a global vaccination drive when he meets with fellow world leaders on Friday in Cornwall, reports AP.
The meeting on England's southwestern coast will be the first face-to-face G-7 summit since the pandemic hit.
“The world is looking to us to rise to the greatest challenge of the postwar era: defeating COVID and leading a global recovery driven by our shared values,” he said in a statement Sunday. “Vaccinating the world by the end of next year would be the single greatest feat in medical history.”
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid the growing concern over the spread of the Delta variant, formerly known as the India variant, 38 more people died of Covid-19 in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until Sunday, putting the death toll at 12,839.
Besides, 1,676 more people were found positive for the virus after testing 15,613 samples during the period, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 38 more deaths, 1,676 new cases
Bangladesh reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Lockdown extended
The government has extended the ongoing lockdown until June 16 as there has been no substantial improvement in the Covid-19 situation.
The Cabinet Division issued a circular in this regard on Sunday.
Keeping all the earlier directives and restrictions effective, the government has added some new restrictions, the circular says.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
So far, four vaccines – Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield), Sputnik-V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer-BioNTech – have got the authorisation for emergency use in the country.
Read:7 cases of Indian Covid variant detected in Nawabganj: Doctor
Meanwhile, seven million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine reached Bangladesh, and the governments of India and China gave 3.2 million doses and 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine as gifts.
However, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
Global Covid cases top 172 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surged past 172 million, as the world grapples to contain the second outbreak of the pandemic even with mass inoculations underway.
As of Friday morning, the global case count and fatalities stand at 172,021,452 and 3,698,371, respectively. The latest figures have been released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
To date, health authorities worldwide have administered 2,007,950,521 vaccine doses, according to the university.
The US, the worst-hit country in the world, crossed 33 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, as per the Johns Hopkins data.
Read: Covid-19: Govt to vaccinate 25 lakh people each month
To be specific, coronavirus cases in the US have reached 33,326,054. Covid-19 deaths, on the other hand, have surged to 596,401.
Brazil on Thursday reported 2,078 more deaths from Covid-19, taking the nationwide tally to 469,784, the Ministry of Health said.
A total of 83,391 new infections were detected during the period, raising the caseload to 16,803,472, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third-highest caseload and the United States and India.
Besides, India’s total caseload reached 28,574,350 on Friday, while the death toll from the virus mounted to 340,719, according to the country's Health Ministry.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Thursday recorded 30 new coronavirus-related deaths and some 1,687 fresh cases in 24 hours.
Health authorities detected the new cases after testing 16,982 samples during the period. The number of tests has also increased over the past one week.
With the new cases, the country's total caseload has risen to 8,05,980, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 30 more deaths, 1,687 new infections
The new deaths have pushed up the fatality count to 12,724.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Lockdown in districts
Due to the recent rise in Covid infections in the bordering districts, district administrations have imposed lockdowns in Rajshahi, Khulna, Satkhira and parts of Naogaon districts to break the transmission of the deadly virus.
District administrations have been given the authority to enforce lockdown in their areas if the Covid-19 situation deteriorates there.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
The administration of the first dose of the vaccine has remained suspended since April 26.
Read: Thakurgaon seals border areas to contain Covid
Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the arrival of shipments from India.
However, recently two other vaccines, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm, got approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for emergency use in Bangladesh.
The administering of the first doses of the Sinopharm vaccine started on Tuesday.
Bangladesh has also received 1 lakh-plus Pfizer vaccine.
India's COVID-19 tally rises to 28,441,986
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 28,441,986 on Thursday with 134,154 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said the federal health ministry.
Besides, 2,887 deaths were reported since Wednesday morning, taking the death toll to 337,989.
Read:7 die in gas cylinder blast in India
There are still 1,713,413 active cases in the country, with a decrease of 80,232 in the past 24 hours. The number of daily active cases has been on the decline over the past few days, after a continuous surge since mid-April.
A total of 26,390,584 people has been cured and discharged from hospitals across the country, showed the latest data from the federal health ministry.
Read: India to start trials on safety, efficacy of mixing Covid vaccine doses
India kicked off a nationwide vaccination drive in January, and so far over 221 million vaccination doses have been administered across the country, and 2,426,265 doses were given on Wednesday alone.
Presently the third phase of vaccination is going on, covering all people aged 18 years and above. However, an acute shortage of vaccines is being seen across the country.
Read: India's COVID-19 tally reaches 28,175,044 with 127,510 new cases
Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up testing capacities, as 353,782,648 tests were conducted till Wednesday, out of which 2,159,873 tests were conducted on Wednesday alone, said the latest data issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research on Thursday.
Three types of vaccines are being administered in India, including Covishield, Covaxin and Russia-made vaccine Sputnik-V.
Rise in UK coronavirus cases stoke concerns over 3rd wave
The number of new coronavirus infections in the U.K. hit a near two-month high Friday as British regulators authorized the use of the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
The latest authorization, which takes the number of vaccines in the U.K.’s armory to four, comes amid growing speculation that the new variant of the virus first identified in India may prompt the British government to delay its next planned easing of lockdown restrictions in England.
Government figures showed that another 4,182 new confirmed cases were reported across the U.K., the highest daily figure since April 1. The cases bring the total number of confirmed infections reported over the past seven days to 20,765, a 24% increase from the previous week. The rise prompted scientists to say the U.K. is now in the midst of a third wave of the pandemic.
The number of cases remains well below the daily high of nearly 70,000 recorded in mid-January, during the peak of the second wave, but but the upward trend has raised questions about the U.K. government’s plan to lift all remaining social restrictions on June 21. The government, which has lifted restrictions in stages and allowed pubs and restaurants to resume indoor service last week, has said it will make a decision on the next planned easing on June 14.
Read:European regulators OK Pfizer vaccine for children 12-15
The variant identified in India is believed to be responsible for up to 75% of new cases in the U.K. and more transmissible than the previously dominant strain of the virus.
Critics argue that the Conservative government is to blame for the variant’s seeding in the U.K. They say officials acted too slowly to impose the strictest quarantine requirements on everyone arriving from India, which is in the midst of a catastrophic resurgence of the virus.
Many scientists say the increase in cases is no surprise but that the rapid rollout of vaccines will provide a firewall in a country that has seen Europe’s highest virus-related death toll at more than 127,500. While the most vulnerable people should have vaccine protection, there are worries the virus could spread widely among younger adults.
As of Friday, 58% of the British population has received at least one vaccine dose and around 35% have gotten two shots. The U.K. vaccination program started with the oldest age groups and aims to have offered a jab to all adults by the end of July.
“It seems almost certain that we will face a third episode of rising COVID-19 infections,” said James Naismith, a professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford. “It seems likely that the Indian variant will mostly confine itself to the unvaccinated younger population. It is much less likely to cause serious disease in this group. However, less likely is not the same as zero. With large enough numbers of infections, appreciable numbers will get seriously ill.”
Also Friday, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the vaccine by Johnson & Johnson met “the expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.” The regulator previously authorized the two-dose regimens developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and Moderna.
Read:Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains
The regulator said the vaccine developed by J&J subsidiary Janssen has been shown to be 67% effective overall in preventing COVID-19 infection and 85% effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalization. It can be be stored at refrigerator temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 47 F), which the regulator said makes it “ideal for distribution to care homes and other locations.”
Details of which groups will get the vaccine have yet to be determined. There was speculation it might only be administered to older adults after it was linked to reports of rare blood clots.
The Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine looks set to be used as part of the country’s planned booster program in the fall. The British government has amended its order from last year of 30 million J&J doses to 20 million.
“As Janssen is a single-dose vaccine, it will play an important role in the months to come as we redouble our efforts to encourage everyone to get their jabs and potentially begin a booster program later this year,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
Global Covid-19 cases near 170 million
The global Covid-19 cases are approaching 170 million as coronavirus situation continues to worsen in parts of the world.
The total caseload reached 169,773,989 and the death toll from the virus mounted to 3,529,577 as of Sunday morning amid vaccination efforts worldwide.
So far, 1,837, 001, 323 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
Read: Chinese workers get a Covid shot in the arm
The US, which has remained the worst hit country in number of cases and deaths, has recorded 33,251,717 cases with 594,304 deaths.
India, which is now the world's second worst-hit country in terms of cases, has so far recorded 27,729,247 infections and 322,512 fatalities.
Brazil on Saturday reported 2,012 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 461,057, the Ministry of Health said.
A total of 79,670 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,471,600, the ministry said.
Brazil has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States and the third largest caseload, following the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 38 more Coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, pushing up the total fatalities to 12,549.
Read:Covid-19 claims 38 more lives in Bangladesh; new cases 1,043
Besides, 1,043 more people came out positive in 13,184 sample tests carried out during the period.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
More states ease lingering virus rules as vaccine rates rise
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, more U.S. cities and states are shrugging off lingering COVID-19 restrictions as vaccination rates rise and the number of infections falls.
Massachusetts lifted a mask requirement Saturday, a day after New Jersey dropped its mandate. In New York City and Chicago, officials reopened public beaches, though winds and cool temperatures kept crowds away.
“Welcome back, Chicago,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a video announcement. “The lakefront is open.”
Chicago’s Navy Pier also reopened retail stores and restaurants, carnival rides, and tour boats and cruises after the pandemic forced monthslong closures at the busy tourist destination.
It’s one more sign of progress that reflects increasingly positive health data. On Saturday, Illinois’ Department of Public Health reported 802 new confirmed and probable infections, the second-lowest one-day total in the last six months.
For businesses nationwide, the improving outlook and long holiday weekend offered a chance to welcome customers back to in-person shopping.
Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, opened its doors to customers for the first time in nearly 14 months Friday. Masks are still required.
The business had switched to internet orders, sidewalk sales and virtual author events to survive the pandemic.
“We had to get creative, we had to pivot,” store manager Alex Brubaker said. “Our readers and our customers have been incredible. It’s a rainy weekend, but the bookstore is full.”
Read: European regulators OK Pfizer vaccine for children 12-15
Minnesota lifted all statewide coronavirus restrictions for bars and restaurants Friday, though local governments can maintain their own social distancing and mask rules.
About 50% of the U.S. population has now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 40% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Vermont boasts the nation’s highest vaccination rate, with nearly 70% of its residents having received at least one dose. The governor is expected to drop all pandemic-related restrictions once 80% of Vermont’s eligible population has received at least one dose, a milestone the state expects to hit next week.
In neighboring Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker lifted a mask mandate effective Saturday, though face coverings are still required in certain places, including on public transportation. The state also still encourages unvaccinated people to wear masks in indoor or public areas.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park before the Red Sox played the Miami Marlins on the first day that Massachusetts dropped limits on crowd sizes. Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said about 24,000 tickets were sold.
“It’s such a bright moment right now,” Walensky told reporters, encouraging people to get vaccinated. “It’s been a really long year, and we’ve seen some really, really dark times. ... I’m thrilled we’re back where we are right now.”
According to Massachusetts officials, 78% of all adult residents have had at least one vaccine dose.
“New cases have dropped by 94% since they peaked in January,” Baker said Friday as he announced the end of the restrictions. “Hospitalizations are down by about 90% since their peak. This progress has made it possible for us to lift all remaining COVID restrictions across the commonwealth.”
Virginia relaxed its distancing and capacity restrictions on Friday. President Joe Biden celebrated the progress with a visit to a rock climbing gym in northern Virginia.
Millions of Americans planned to travel over the long weekend, and airports reported some of their highest traffic since the pandemic began.
Bangladesh loses 31 more lives to Covid-19
Covid-19 claimed 31 more Covid deaths, including 10 each in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions, in the past 24 hours till Friday morning, pushing up the country's fatalities to 12,511.
Also, 1,358 people came out positive in 14,606 tests carried out during the same period, taking the country's caseload to 796,343.
The daily positivity rate rose to 9.30% from Thursday's 8.12%, said the Directorate General of Health Services.
Read: COVID-19: Bangladesh to receive over 1 lakh Pfizer vaccine on Sunday
The fatality rate remained static at 1.57% and the recovery rate stood at 92.45%.
The country has carried out 5,901,874 sample tests so far after reporting its first cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of the month.
Vaccination drive
The administration of the first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has remained suspended in Bangladesh since April 26.
Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca shots, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
However, recently two other vaccines, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm, got approval from the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for emergency use in Bangladesh.
Read:Cabinet body okays proposal to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm vaccine
The administering of the first doses of the Sinopharm vaccine started Tuesday.
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses bought from India's Serum Institute.
Bangladesh to receive 1 lakh-plus Pfizer vaccine Sunday
A flight of Qatar Airlines carrying a consignment of 100,620 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in Bangladesh Sunday.
On Thursday, Bangladesh approved the emergency use of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
Cabinet body okays procurement of 1.5 crore Sinopharm vaccine
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase Thursday gave final approval to a proposal of the health ministry to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
As per the approval, the Health Services Division will procure a 1.5 crore vaccine in the next three months – June, July and August.
Read: Bangladesh approves emergency use of Pfizer vaccine
"Each month 5 million doses of vaccine will be imported from the Chinese firm," Dr Shahida Aktar, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, told reporters.
Covid vaccination to get priority in budget FY22
A massive vaccination of the population for protection against Covid-19 infection will be the major focus of the Tk602,880 crore budget of the fiscal year 2021-2022. There will be a Tk10,000 crore special allocation for facing the impacts of Covid-19.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal will place the budget in Parliament on June 3.
'Bangladesh to see worst Covid outbreak by June-end'
With Covid cases keep soaring in frontier districts apparently because of the highly contagious Indian variant, experts fear that Bangladesh may face the worst outbreak of Covid-19 at the end of June next.
They said if the Indian variant can make its way into other areas from the bordering districts, Bangladesh is likely to witness more than 20,000 daily cases in early July, raising the fatality rate sharply.
Read: Bangladesh braces for worst Covid outbreak by June-end: Experts
Lack of necessary oxygen supply and other healthcare facilities may aggravate the situation, according to the experts.
They suggested putting the frontier districts, particularly where the virus infection rate has already gone up, under strict lockdowns like Chapainawabganj and halting inter-district public transport services to contain the virus locally.
Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 22 more deaths, 1,292 new cases
Bangladesh reported 22 more coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, pushing up the country's fatalities to 12,480.
Besides, 1,292 more people were found positive for Covid-19 after testing 15,915 samples during the period.
The daily positivity rate declined to 8.12 percent from Wednesday’s 9.11 percent, said the Directorate General of Health Services.
Read:AstraZeneca: Govt's desperate efforts yet to yield any good news
Health authorities logged 17 Covid-related deaths on Wednesday, the lowest number in 68 days.The country saw 16 Covid-19 deaths on March 18 last.
The fatality rate remained at 1.57% .
The recovery rate stood at 92.47% as 1,291 people recovered in the last 24 hours. The overall recovery number is 7,35,157 till date.
With the fresh cases, the country’s total caseload reached 7,94,985.
The country has carried out 58,87,268 sample tests since reporting its first cases on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18, 2020.
Vaccination drive update
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute.
The administration of the first dose remained suspended since April 26.
Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
However, the administering of the 1st dose of Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against Covid-19 began in Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Cabinet body okays procurement of 1.5 cr Sinopharm vaccine
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday gave final approval to a proposal of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
Read:Cabinet body okays proposal to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm vaccine
As per the approval, the Health Services Division of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will procure a total of 15 million (1.5 crore) vaccine in the next three months—June, July and August.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the Cabinet body meeting.
“Each month 5 million doses of vaccine will be imported from the Chinese firm”, Dr Shahida Aktar, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, told reporters while briefing on the outcomes of the cabinet body meeting.