Global COVID
Global Covid cases top 469 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 469 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 469,565,560 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,074,234 Saturday morning.
The US has recorded 79,728,165 cases so far and 971,182 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,007,841 till Sunday as 3,836 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 229 deaths due to the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 516,510.
READ: Global Covid cases top 467 million
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,624,435 cases as of Saturday, while its Covid death toll rose to 657,389.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported zero Covid-linked death with 62 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning
On Friday, the country logged two Covid-related deaths with 106 cases after witnessing zero death from the virus infection for three consecutive days.
On Tuesday, the country logged zero Covid-related deaths after more than three months.
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate declined to 0.83 per cent from Friday’s 1.16 per cent after testing 7,451 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
READ: Global Covid cases top 465 million
With the latest numbers country’s total fatalities remained unchanged at 29,114 while the caseload mounted to 19,50,527.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.85 per cent with the recovery of 1,014 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Global Covid cases top 467 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 467 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 467,671,421 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,070,281 Saturday morning.
The US has recorded 79,717,219 cases so far and 970,804 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 43,004,005 on Friday as 2,528 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 149 deaths due to the pandemic since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 516,281.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,584,800 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 657,098.
Read: Pfizer asks US to allow 4th COVID vaccine dose for seniors
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported two more Covid-linked deaths, with 106 fresh cases, in 24 hours till Friday morning after witnessing zero death from Covid in the last three days.
On Tuesday, the country logged zero Covid-related death after more than three months.
The country reported its first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate declined to 1.16 per cent from Thursday’s 1.69 per cent after 9,322 samples were tested during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The latest numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,114 and the caseload to 19,50,465.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.80 per cent with the recovery of 1,459 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Read:Bangladesh logs zero death from Covid after 3 months
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Global Covid cases top 461 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 461 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 461,461,685 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,050,929 Wednesday morning.
The US has recorded 79,586,694 cases so far and 966,386 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Read: Symptoms of Omicron: How is it different from Covid-19 Variant Delta
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,996,062 on Tuesday, as 2,568 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's data.
Besides, 97 related deaths since Monday morning took the total death toll to 515,974.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,441,039 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 655,878.
Covid Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged zero Covid-related death in 24 hours till Tuesday morning after more than three months amid signs that the pandemic is easing with declining positivity rate.
The country, however, logged 217 more infections during the 24-hour period.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh logged zero Covid-related death with 262 cases.
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
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The daily positivity rate declined to 1.54 per cent from Monday’s 1.75 per cent after testing 14,074 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the latest figures, the caseload rose to 19,49,942 in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.61 per cent with the recovery of 1,600 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
India logs 2,503 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 42,993,494
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 42,993,494 on Monday, as 2,503 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, as many as 27 deaths due to the pandemic since Sunday morning took the total death toll to 515,877.
This is after nearly two years when the number of deaths due to the pandemic has fallen to below 50.
Read: Global Covid cases near 457 million
There are still 36,168 active COVID-19 cases in the country despite a fall of 1,901 active cases during the past 24 hours. This was the 49th consecutive day when the number of active cases declined in the country.
So far 42,441,449 people have been successfully cured and discharged from hospitals so far, out of which 4377 were discharged during the past 24 hours in the country.
Covid claims 3 more lives in Bangladesh, infects 198 others
Bangladesh logged three more Covid-linked deaths with 198 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning amid a continuous downtrend in the positivity rate.
The daily positivity rate slightly declined to 1.77 per cent from Friday’s 1.86 per cent after testing 11,183 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fatalities and cases on Saturday were lower than Friday that witnessed four deaths with 257 cases.
Read: Full in-person classes at secondary schools, colleges to resume Tuesday: Dipu
The latest numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,108 while the caseload to 19, 49,253.
The death of the three people, all men, were reported from Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Barishal divisions.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 95.39 per cent with the recovery of 1,821 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Read: Transport connectivity master plan likely to be adopted in 5th BIMSTEC Summit: Shahriar
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks.
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
How will COVID end? Experts look to past epidemics for clues
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the world has seen a dramatic improvement in infections, hospitalizations and death rates in recent weeks, signaling the crisis appears to be winding down. But how will it end? Past epidemics may provide clues.
The ends of epidemics are not as thoroughly researched as their beginnings. But there are recurring themes that could offer lessons for the months ahead, said Erica Charters of the University of Oxford, who studies the issue.
“One thing we have learned is it’s a long, drawn-out process” that includes different types of endings that may not all occur at the same time, she said. That includes a “medical end,” when disease recedes, the “political end,” when government prevention measures cease, and the “social end,” when people move on.
The COVID-19 global pandemic has waxed and waned differently in different parts of the world. But in the United States, at least, there is reason to believe the end is near.
About 65% of Americans are fully vaccinated, and about 29% are both vaccinated and boosted. Cases have been falling for nearly two months, with the U.S. daily average dropping about 40% in the last week alone. Hospitalizations also have plummeted, down nearly 30%. Mask mandates are vanishing — even federal health officials have stopped wearing them — and President Joe Biden has said it’s time for people to return to offices and many aspects of pre-pandemic life.
But this pandemic has been full of surprises, lasting more than two years and causing nearly 1 million deaths in the U.S. and more than 6 million around the world. Its severity has been surprising, in part because many people drew the wrong lesson from a 2009-2010 flu pandemic that turned out to be nowhere as deadly as initially feared.
“We got all worried but then nothing happened (in 2009), and I think that was what the expectation was” when COVID-19 first emerged, said Kristin Heitman, a Maryland-based researcher who collaborated with Charters.
That said, some experts offered takeaways from past epidemics that may inform how the end of the COVID-19 pandemic may play out.
FLU
Before COVID-19, influenza was considered the most deadly pandemic agent. A 1918-1919 flu pandemic killed 50 million people around the world, including 675,000 in the U.S., historians estimate. Another flu pandemic in 1957-1958 killed an estimated 116,000 Americans, and another in 1968 killed 100,000 more.
A new flu in 2009 caused another pandemic, but one that turned out not to be particularly dangerous to the elderly — the group that tends to die the most from flu and its complications. Ultimately, fewer than 13,000 U.S. deaths were attributed to that pandemic.
The World Health Organization in August 2010 declared the flu had moved into a post-pandemic period, with cases and outbreaks moving into customary seasonal patterns.
In each case, the pandemics waned as time passed and the general population built immunity. They became the seasonal flu of subsequent years. That kind of pattern is probably what will happen with the coronavirus, too, experts say.
“It becomes normal,” said Matthew Ferrari, director of Penn State’s Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. “There’s a regular, undulating pattern when there’s a time of year when there’s more cases, a time of year when there’s less cases. Something that’s going to look a lot like seasonal flu or the common cold.”
HIV
In 1981, U.S. health officials reported a cluster of cases of cancerous lesions and pneumonia in previously healthy gay men in California and New York. More and more cases began to appear, and by the next year officials were calling the disease AIDS, for acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Researchers later determined it was caused by HIV — human immunodeficiency virus — which weakens a person’s immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection. For years, AIDS was considered a terrifying death sentence, and in 1994 it became the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44.
But treatments that became available in the 1990s turned it into a manageable chronic condition for most Americans. Attention shifted to Africa and other parts of the world, where it was not controlled and is still considered an ongoing emergency.
Pandemics don’t end with a disease ebbing uniformly across the globe, Charters said. “How a pandemic ends is generally by becoming multiple (regional) epidemics,” she said.
ZIKA
In 2015, Brazil suffered an outbreak of infections from Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes that tended to cause only mild illness in most adults and children. But it became a terror as it emerged that infection during pregnancy could cause a birth defect that affected brain development, causing babies to be born with unusually small heads.
By late that year, mosquitoes were spreading it in other Latin American countries, too. In 2016, the WHO declared it an international public health emergency, and a U.S. impact became clear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of 224 cases of Zika transmission by mosquitoes in the continental United States and more than 36,000 in U.S. territories — the vast majority in Puerto Rico.
But the counts fell dramatically in 2017 and virtually disappeared shortly after, at least in the U.S. Experts believe the epidemic died as people developed immunity. “It just sort of burned out” and the pressure for making a Zika vaccine available in the U.S. ebbed, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, a former CDC official who was a key leader in the agency’s responses to Zika.
It’s possible Zika will be a dormant problem for years but outbreaks could occur again if the virus mutates or if larger numbers of young people come along without immunity. With most epidemics, “there’s never a hard end,” said Jamieson, who is now chair of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University’s medical school.
COVID-19
The Geneva-based WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and it will decide when enough countries have seen a sufficient decline in cases — or, at least, in hospitalizations and deaths — to say the international health emergency is over.
The WHO has not yet announced target thresholds. But officials this week responded to questions about the possible end of the pandemic by noting how much more needs to be accomplished before the world can turn the page.
COVID-19 cases are waning in the U.S., and dropped globally in the last week by 5%. But cases are rising in some places, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
People in many countries need vaccines and medications, said Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, which is part of the WHO.
In Latin America and the Caribbean alone, more than 248 million people have not yet had their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Etienne said during a press briefing with reporters. Countries with low vaccination rates likely will see future increases in illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths, she said.
“We are not yet out of this pandemic,” said Dr. Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director of health emergencies. “We still need to approach this pandemic with a lot of caution.”
Global Covid cases top 451 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 451 million as Omicron infections keep rising across the world.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 451,406,242 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,021,834 Thursday morning.
The US has recorded 79,406,602 cases so far and 963,819 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,975,883 on Wednesday, as 4,575 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's data.
Besides, 145 more deaths were recorded since Tuesday morning, taking the death toll to 515,355.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,198,101 cases as of Wednesday while its Covid death toll rose to 653,767.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death with 323 fresh cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
Also read Living with Covid a privilege that many can't enjoy: IFRC chief
The daily positivity rate declined to 1.97 per cent from Tuesday’s 2.23 per cent after testing 16,225 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
On Tuesday, Bangladesh reported seven more Covid-linked deaths with 446 fresh cases.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,097 and the caseload to 19,48,471.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
Also read: Global Covid death toll crosses 6 million
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks.
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Global Covid cases top 449 million
The overall number of Covid cases has surged past 449 million as the pandemic enters into its third year.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 449,516,623 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,013,873 Wednesday morning.
Despite vaccine availability, the United States is nearing one million reported deaths on its own, the biggest official death toll in the world, reports AP.
The US has recorded 79,369,007 cases so far and 961,843 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 42,971,308 on Tuesday, as 3,993 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Read: Omicron helped Bangladesh rapidly reach herd immunity: Experts
Besides, 108 deaths from the pandemic since Monday morning took the total death toll to 515,210.
Meanwhile, Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 29,152,318 cases as of Tuesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 653,134.
Global vaccine disparity continues, with only 6.95% of people in low-income countries fully vaccinated, compared to more than 73% in high-income nations, according to Our World in Data.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported seven more Covid-linked deaths with 446 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning amid the declining trend in infections and fatalities.
The daily positivity rate slightly increased to 2.23 per cent from Monday’s 2.18 per cent after testing 19,964 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
On Monday, Bangladesh reported four Covid-linked deaths with 436 fresh cases.
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The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 29,096 and the caseload to 19,48,148.
Among the new deceased, five were men and two were women. Six of the deaths were reported from Dhaka division and one from Sylhet division.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
However, the recovery rate rose to 94.96 per cent with the recovery of 3,062 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks.
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Death toll surpasses 6 million for pandemic now in 3rd year
The death toll from COVID-19 eclipsed 6 million Monday — underscoring that the pandemic, now in its third year, is far from finished.
The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe.
The last million deaths were recorded over the last four months, according to the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
That’s slightly slower than the previous million, but highlights that many countries are still struggling with the coronavirus.
Read: New Zealand considering law to sanction Russia
Remote Pacific islands, long protected from the virus by their isolation, are just now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths soar, is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings to mainland China’s “zero-COVID” strategy.
Death toll nears 6 million as pandemic enters its 3rd year
The official global death toll from COVID-19 is on the verge of eclipsing 6 million — underscoring that the pandemic, now entering its third year, is far from over.
The milestone is the latest tragic reminder of the unrelenting nature of the pandemic even as people are shedding masks, travel is resuming and businesses are reopening around the globe. The death toll, compiled by Johns Hopkins University, stood at 5,997,994 as of Sunday afternoon.
Remote Pacific islands, whose isolation had protected them for more than two years, are just now grappling with their first outbreaks and deaths, fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Hong Kong, which is seeing deaths soar, is testing its entire population of 7.5 million three times this month as it clings to mainland China’s “zero-COVID” strategy.
As death rates remain high in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries, the region has seen more than 1 million refugees arrive from war-torn Ukraine, a country with poor vaccination coverage and high rates of cases and deaths.
And despite its wealth and vaccine availability, the United States is nearing 1 million reported deaths on its own.
Death rates worldwide are still highest among people unvaccinated against the virus, said Tikki Pang, a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore’s medical school and co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.
Read: Hawaii to lift COVID-19 travel quarantine rules this month
“This is a disease of the unvaccinated — look what is happening in Hong Kong right now, the health system is being overwhelmed,” said Pang, the former director of research policy and cooperation with the World Health Organization. “The large majority of the deaths and the severe cases are in the unvaccinated, vulnerable segment of the population.”
It took the world seven months to record its first million deaths from the virus after the pandemic began in early 2020. Four months later another million people had died, and 1 million have died every three months since, until the death toll hit 5 million at the end of October. Now it has reached 6 million — more than the populations of Berlin and Brussels combined, or the entire state of Maryland.
But despite the enormity of the figure, the world undoubtedly hit its 6 millionth death some time ago. Poor record-keeping and testing in many parts of the world has led to an undercount in coronavirus deaths, in addition to excess deaths related to the pandemic but not from actual COVID-19 infections, like people who died from preventable causes but could not receive treatment because hospitals were full.
Edouard Mathieu, head of data for the Our World in Data portal, said that — when countries’ excess mortality figures are studied — as many as nearly four times the reported death toll have likely died because of the pandemic.
An analysis of excess deaths by a team at The Economist estimates that the number of COVID-19 deaths is between 14 million and 23.5 million.