Delta variant
Global Covid cases top 212 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed 212 million, with the world still grappling to contain the second wave of the pandemic.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 212,502,421 and 4,440,932, respectively, as of Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,957,118,557 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read:US regulators give full approval to Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 37,935,465 cases, according to JHU, while 629,406 people have lost their lives to Covid to date.
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 country has recorded 20,583,994 cases with 574,848 fatalities so far, according to the health ministry.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,449,306 on Monday, as 25,072 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, as per the health ministry's latest data.
Read: No more mass Covid vaccination drive as supply is low, says health minister
This is said to be the lowest single-day spike of the new pandemic cases in 160 days, said the health ministry.
Besides, as many as 389 deaths were reported due to the pandemic since Sunday morning, taking the total death toll to 434,756.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 117 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Monday morning, the lowest in 55 days.
The country last saw 115 coronavirus- related deaths on June 30 and the upward curve of the fatalities reached its peak on August 5 and 10 with 264 deaths.
Besides, 5,717 more people came out positive for the virus after 26,789 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh cases have pushed up the country’s total fatalities and cases to 25,399 and 1,467,715, respectively.
Meanwhile, the daily case positivity rate rose to 15.54% from Sunday’s 15.16%, said the DGHS.
Read: Bangladesh reports lowest 117 single-day Covid deaths in nearly 2 months
The recovery rate rose to 93.54%, but the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.73% compared to the same period.
The country saw around 158 deaths and 6,157 cases on a seven-day average, as of Sunday.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Monday that Bangladesh will not conduct any new mass Covid inoculation drive as "the supply of vaccine doses is much lower than the demand".
Global Covid cases near 212 million
With the highly contagious Delta variant spreading rapidly across several countries, the global Covid-19 caseload is also fast approaching the grim milestone of 212 million.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 211,800,166 and 4,430,770, respectively, as of Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,922,573,973 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
Read: 'India likely to have Covid shot for children by September'
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 37,709,810 cases, according to JHU, while 628,503 people have lost their lives to Covid to date.
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 country has recorded 20,570,891 cases with 574,527 fatalities so far, according to the health ministry.
The third worst-hit country India's COVID-19 tally rose to 32,424,234 on Sunday, as 30,948 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, as many as 403 Covid deaths since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 434,367.
Read:Over 4.4 million Covid cases reported worldwide in one week
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 139 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Sunday morning, one day after the lowest record in about two months amid concern over the unlocking of the country from restrictions imposed to check the spread of the virus.
The country on Saturday saw 120 Coronavirus related deaths and the upward curve of the fatalities was at its peak on August 5 and 10 with 264 deaths.
Besides, 4,804 more people came out positive with the virus after testing 31,689 samples during the last 24 hours, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers pushed the country’s total fatalities to 25,282 while the cases reached 14, 61,994.
Read:DGHS chief vows action in instances of stealing Covid jabs
Meanwhile the case positivity rate fell to 15.16% from Saturday’s 16.71%, said the DGHS.
The recovery rate rose to 93.29%, but the case fatality increased to 1.73% compared to the same period.
The country is currently seeing around 170 deaths and 6,800 cases on a seven day average.
Global Covid cases top 211 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has surpassed 211 million, with the world still struggling to contain the pandemic fueled by new variants.
The total caseload and fatalities from the virus stand at 211,307, 313 and 4,422,280 respectively as of Sunday morning, as per the latest data released by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
On the other hand, as many as 4,898,315, 248 vaccine doses have been administered across the world.
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 120 more deaths, lowest in two months
The US has logged 37, 667, 889 cases and 628,276 fatalities to date, the highest death toll in the world, according to the university.
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.
India's COVID-19 tally rose to 32,393,286 on Saturday as 34,457 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 375 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the total death toll to 433,964.
Read: Bangladesh's Covid cases, fatalities down for 3rd day
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 120 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Saturday morning, the lowest in about two months amid concern over the unlocking of the country from restrictions imposed to check the spread of the virus.
The country last saw 119 Coronavirus related deaths on June 27 and the upward curve of the fatalities reached its peak on August 5 and 10 with 264 deaths.
Besides, 3,991 more people came out positive with the virus after testing 23,882 samples during the last 24 hours, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:Take actions against Cumilla councilor for pushing Covid jabs: Probe
The fresh number pushed the country’s total fatalities to 25,143 while the cases reached 1,457,194.
The country is currently seeing around 170 deaths and 6,800 cases on a seven day average.
Meanwhile, the government managed to vaccinate 6,395,466 with two doses, while another 16,386,203 people have received the first dose to date, said DGHS.
Global Covid cases near 210 million
The global Covid-19 caseload is fast nearing 210 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 209,934,849 and 4,402,002 respectively, as of Friday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,824,375,876 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the globe, as per the university data.
Read: Over 4.4 million Covid cases reported worldwide in one week
More than 4.4 million Covid cases and 66,000 deaths were reported worldwide in the past week as Covid-19 is continuing to spread around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.
The number of new infections in seven days surpassed last week's number by 2%, while the mortality rate was roughly flat, the UN agency added.
The US has logged 37,293,969 cases and 625,166 deaths to date, according to the JHU data. The death toll in the United States is the highest in the world.
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 country has recorded 20,494,212 cases with 572,641 fatalities so far, according to the health ministry.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,322,258 on Thursday, as 36,401 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, as per the health ministry's data.
Read:'India likely to have Covid shot for children by September'
Besides, as many as 530 deaths were reported due to the pandemic since Monday morning, taking the total death toll to 433,049.
India is likely to have its indigenous Covid-19 vaccine for children by September, Director of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)'s National Institute of Virology (Pune) Priya Abraham said.
Abraham's remarks came amid the ongoing phase II and III trials of Covaxin for the 2-18 age groups.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 159 more coronavirus-related deaths and 6,566 fresh infections in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, in a decreasing trend in both fatalities and cases even though concerns remained over the virulent Delta variant of the virus.
The country has been seeing fatalities below 200 for the last seven days, a slight improvement from the July 25-August 13 period when daily deaths were recorded over 200.
Read: What we know about Covid-19 booster shots
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 24,874 and the cases to 1,447, 210, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)
The new cases were detected after testing 37,226 samples, which lowered the case positivity rate to 17.64%, still much higher than that of the WHO recommendation of bringing it below 5%.
Meanwhile, the case fatality rate remained static at 1.72%.
Global Covid cases top 209 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surged past 209 million as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to devastate several countries even with mass inoculations underway.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 209,222,017 and 4,392,130 respectively, as of Thursday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,787,668, 861 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read:'India likely to have Covid shot for children by September'
More than 4.4 million Covid cases and 66,000 deaths were reported worldwide in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Wednesday.
The number of new infections in seven days surpassed last week's number by 2%, while the mortality rate was roughly flat, the UN agency added.
A total of 4,444,632 people were infected with Covid-19 across the world and 66,506 patients died from August 9 to 15.
As of August 18, some 208,833,116 coronavirus cases had been recorded in nearly 200 countries. Since the start of the pandemic, the Covid-19 death toll has reached 4,386,814.
So far, the US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases and fatalities.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 37,148,877 Covid cases. Besides, 624,209 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Read:Over 4.4 million Covid cases reported worldwide in one week
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 country has recorded 20,457,897 cases with 571,662 fatalities so far, according to the health ministry.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,285,857 on Wednesday, as 35,178 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry.
Besides, as many as 440 deaths due to the pandemic since Monday morning took the total death toll to 432,519.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 172 more coronavirus-related deaths and 7,248 fresh infections in 24 hours till Wednesday morning as concerns remain over the virulent Delta variant of the virus.
The country has been seeing fatalities below 200 for the last six days, a slight improvement from the July 25-August 13 period when daily deaths were recorded over 200.
Read: Bangladesh reports 172 more Covid deaths, 7,248 fresh cases
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 24,719 and the cases to 1,440,644, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS)
The new cases were detected after testing 41,014 samples, which lowered the case positivity rate to 17.67 % from Tuesday’s 19.18%, still much higher than the WHO recommendation of bringing it below 5%.
Meanwhile, the case fatality rate has increased to 1.72% after staying unchanged at 1.71% for some days.
What we know about Covid-19 booster shots
US health officials may soon recommend Covid-19 booster shots for fully vaccinated Americans.
A look at what we know about boosters and how they could help fight the coronavirus:
Why might we need boosters?
It is common for protection from vaccines to decrease over time. A tetanus booster, for example, is recommended every 10 years.
Researchers and health officials have been monitoring the real-world performance of the Covid-19 vaccines to see how long protection lasts among vaccinated people. The vaccines authorised in the US continue to offer very strong protection against severe disease and death.
Read: US okays Covid booster dose for those with weak immune systems
But laboratory blood tests have suggested that antibodies – one of the immune system's layers of protection – can wane over time. That does not mean protection disappears, but it could mean protection is not as strong or that it could take longer for the body to fight back against an infection.
The delta variant has complicated the question of when to give boosters because it is so much more contagious and much of the data gathered about vaccine performance is from before the delta variant was widely circulating. Delta is taking off at the same time that vaccine immunity might also be waning for the first people vaccinated.
France and Germany plan to offer boosters to some people in the fall. The European Medicines Agency said it too is reviewing data to see if booster shots are needed.
Read Dengue vs. COVID-19: Symptoms, when & where to test, ways of prevention
When would they be given?
It depends on when you got your initial shots. One possibility is that health officials will recommend people get a booster roughly eight months after getting their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Officials are continuing to collect information about the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorised for use in the US in late February, to determine when to recommend boosters.
Who would get them?
The first people vaccinated in the US would likely be first in line for boosters too. That means health care workers, nursing home residents and other older Americans, who were the first to be vaccinated once the shots were authorised last December.
Read: US to recommend COVID vaccine boosters at 8 months
Booster? third shot? What's the difference?
Transplant recipients and other people with weakened immune systems may not have gotten enough protection from vaccines, to begin with. They can now receive a third dose at least 28 days after their second shot as part of their initial series of shots needed for them to be fully vaccinated.
For those with normal immune systems, boosters are given much later after full vaccination – not to establish protection, but to rev it up again.
What questions remain?
Still unknown is whether people should get the same type of shot they got when first vaccinated. And the nation's top health advisers will be looking for evidence about the safety of boosters and how well they protect against infection and severe disease.
Read Liquid Medical Oxygen and Covid-19 Treatment: Things we need to know
Global access to vaccines is also important to stem the pandemic and prevent the emergence of new variants. Booster shots could crimp already tight global vaccine supplies.
What about the unvaccinated?
Dr Melanie Swift, who has been leading the vaccination programme at Mayo Clinic, says getting more shots into people who have not yet been vaccinated at all is "our best tool, not only to prevent hospitalisation and mortality from the delta variant but to stop transmission." Every infection, she says, "gives the virus more chances to mutate into who knows what the next variant could be."
"People who took the vaccine the first time are likely to line up and get their booster. But it is not going to achieve our goals overall if all their unvaccinated neighbours are not vaccinated," Swift says.
Read: Why might COVID-19 vaccine boosters be necessary?
Global Covid cases top 208 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed 208 million, with the world still struggling to contain the second outbreak of the pandemic.
According to US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 208,493,338 while the death toll from the virus reached 4,380,611 on Wednesday morning.
So far, 4,749,026,949 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read: US to recommend COVID vaccine boosters at 8 months
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 37,006,732 cases. Besides, 623,283 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Meanwhile, U.S. experts are expected to recommend Covid-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus as the Delta variant spreads across the country.
Federal health officials have been actively looking at whether extra shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing case numbers in the US as well as the situation in other countries such as Israel, where preliminary studies suggest the vaccine’s protection against serious illness dropped among those vaccinated in January.
Brazil registered 434 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 569,492, the health ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said that the total caseload rose to 20,378,570 after 14,471 new cases were detected during the period.
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.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,250,679 on Tuesday, as 25,166 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, as per the federal health ministry's latest data.
Read: Children account for 15% of new Covid cases in US
It was the lowest single-day spike in the past 154 days, according to the ministry.
Besides, 437 deaths due to the pandemic since Monday morning took the total death toll to 432,079.
Even though India is easing its restrictions amid a sharp drop in new Covid-19 cases, the threat of a third wave looms large, as experts predict another wave might hit the country by the end of August but say it will be less brutal.
The caseload will rise slowly instead of significantly, and the third wave will not be as chaotic as the second one, if the Delta variant remains dominant and no new variant emerges, experts have said.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 198 more coronavirus-related deaths and 7,535 fresh infections in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
The country has been seeing fatalities below 200 for the last five days, a slight improvement from the July 25-August 13 period when daily deaths were recorded over 200.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 24,547 and the Covid cases to 1,433,396, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new cases were detected after testing 39,278 samples, which lowered the case positivity rate to 19.18 % from Monday’s 21.08%.
Read: Lower age bar for Covid vaccination further: JS body
Meanwhile, the case fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.71%, said the DGHS.
During the period, the recovery rate rose to 91.73% with 12,950 more people recovering from the infection.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare on Tuesday recommended lowering the age limit to receive Covid vaccines further from the existing 25 years.
Sylhet div logs 17 deaths in single day
Sylhet division has logged 17 new Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, as the ruthless Delta variant of coronavirus continues its spread across the country.
Of the total deaths, 11 were reported in Sylhet district alone, said Dr Himangshu Lal Roy, director (health) of Sylhet.
Read: Covid claims 13 more lives in Sylhet
During this period, some 357 people were found positive for Covid after testing 1,476 samples.
The positivity rate currently stands at 24.19%.
With the fresh figures, the total fatalities and cases in the division now stand at 919 and 49,628, respectively.
Moreover, 37,795 people have recovered to date.
Read:Gasping for breath Sylhet woman dies in ambulance after futile search for an ICU bed
Besides, 35 people have been admitted to the corona unit of Sylhet Osmani Medical College and Hospital in the past 24 hours.
Currently, 534 Covid patients are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Sylhet division.
Global Covid cases approaching 207 mln as concerns mount over Delta variant
The global Covid-19 caseload is now nearing the grim milestone of 207 million, as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to devastate several countries even though mass vaccination drives are underway.
The total caseload and fatalities from the virus stood at 206,662,675 and 4,353,058 respectively, as of Sunday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,645,965, 832 Covid vaccine doses have been administered across the globe, as per the university data.
Read: Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 178 more deaths, 6,885 new cases
The US has logged 36,631,893 cases and 621,209 deaths to date, according to the JHU data. The death toll in the United States is the highest in the world.
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 has reported 20,350,142 cases with 568,788 fatalities as of Sunday morning.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,156,493 on Saturday as 38,667 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry's latest data.
Read: US okays Covid booster dose for those with weak immune systems
Besides, as many as 478 deaths due to the pandemic since Friday morning took the total death toll to 430,732.
Situation in Bangladesh
With Covid-19 vaccine jabs still remaining off the peak in Bangladesh, the country reported 178 more coronavirus-related deaths and 6,885 fresh infections in 24 hours till Saturday Morning.
The fresh numbers took the country’s death tally to 23,988 while the total cases mounted to 1,412,218, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new infections were detected after testing 33,330 samples, bringing down the case positivity rate slightly to 20.66% from Friday’s 20.88%.
Read: Photos showing how hospitals in Bangladesh struggling with dengue patients amid covid surge
Since the beginning of the vaccination programme, as many as 5,428,345 people have been fully vaccinated with Covid jabs while the government completed administering the first dose to 15,461,583 people, said the DGHS.
People in Bangladesh are now showing more interest in receiving Covid-19 vaccine shots as 31,828,492 have registered for the vaccination so far.
Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death; and with the Delta variant; this is more urgent than ever, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Delta concerns: Philippines extends travel ban for Bangladesh, 9 other countries
The Philippines has extended a ban on travellers from Bangladesh and nine other countries to August 31 because of concerns posed by the highly contagious Delta variant of the Covid-19, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Friday.
Aside from India where the Delta variant was first detected, the Philippines also banned travellers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the UAE, where the variant has spread.
However, the country will allow returning overseas Filipino workers under its repatriation programme, but they will be isolated for 14 days upon their arrival.
Read: Bangladesh reports 197 new deaths as it fails to take hold on Covid
The Philippines is grappling with soaring Covid-19 infections fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, prompting the government to reimpose a hard lockdown in Metro Manila and other regions.
The Philippines now has more than 1.7 million confirmed Covid-19 cases and 29,539 deaths.
The travel ban, first issued on April 27, was later expanded to include Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman, and the UAE.
On July 16, the country added Indonesia to the list, followed by Malaysia and Thailand on July 25. The ban was set to expire on Sunday, but the government extended it until August 31.