Delta variant
Philippines extends travel ban on Bangladesh, 9 other countries as Delta variant spreads
The Philippines has extended its travel ban for all inbound travelers from India and nine other countries to August 31 as Delta variant cases rise across the country, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.
The Delta variant has spread in the Philippines, where 627 cases have been reported, including 11 deaths.
Read: Bangabandhu's birth centenary: Philippines unveils commemorative cover, stamp
Aside from India where the Delta variant was first detected, the Philippines also banned travelers from Bangladesh,Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal,Sri Lanka, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, where the variant has spread.
However, the country allows returning overseas Filipino workers under its repatriation program, but they will be isolated for 14 days upon the arrival.
Read:Philippines weighs extending lockdown as COVID cases top 1M
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, including 29,539 deaths.
Global Covid cases near 205 million
The overall number of global Covid cases is fast approaching the 205-million mark as several countries continue their battle against the deadlier Delta variant of coronavirus even with mass inoculations underway.
According to US-based Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 204,626,055 while the death toll from the virus reached 4,322,964 on Thursday morning.
So far, 4,527,785,425 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read: US Hospitals run low on nurses as they get swamped with COVID
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 36,177,914 cases. Besides, 618,434 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil, which has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States, and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India, recorded 565,748 deaths and 20,245,085 cases, respectively, on Wednesday.
Neighbouring India's total Covid cases surpassed 32 million on Wednesday, with 38,353 new infections reported in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry's data.
Besides, 497 deaths were recorded since Tuesday morning, taking the death toll to 429,179.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Wednesday reported 237 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours, a figure that shows how bad the situation is in the country.
Read:Covid kills 237 more in Bangladesh as Delta strain raging
On August 5, the country reported 264 deaths shattering its previous single-day record of 258 Covid-related fatalities on July 27. On August 10 too, the country logged 268 deaths.
Besides, 10,420 more people came out Covid positive during the period after testing 44,430 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Chaos at vaccination centres
Vaccination centres across the country drew huge crowds on the fifth day of the mass vaccination drive, creating a chaotic situation everywhere and raising the risk of the virus transmission.
Hundreds of jab-seekers, both male and female, turned up at small vaccination centres with or without online registrations, overwhelming its medical staff.
Read:1.77 mln doses of Sinopharm vaccine on way to Dhaka
On Saturday, Bangladesh kicked off another phase of its mass vaccination drive aimed at vaccinating 35 lakh people in six days.
Covid jabs will be administered simultaneously in 4,600 unions, 1,054 municipality areas and 433 wards of the city corporations, Director General of Health Services Dr ABM Khurshid Alam told the media on August 6.
Vaccine Stock
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, at a virtual meeting on Wednesday, said, “We’ve to vaccinate some 13.82 crore people of the country. We need to buy a total of 27.65 crore vaccine doses. We have 2.55 crore vaccine doses in our hands and the remaining ones need to be collected.”
Global Covid cases near 204 million
The global Covid-19 caseload is now nearing the grim milestone of 201 million as many countries continue their battle against the deadlier Delta variant of coronavirus even with mass inoculations underway.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 203,925,022 and 4,313,342, respectively, as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,475,842,781 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
Read: US Hospitals run low on nurses as they get swamped with COVID
The situation in North America has worsened noticeably in the past weeks. The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 36,050,630 cases. Besides, 618,108 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil has registered 1,211 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 564,773, the health ministry said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 20,212,642 after 34,885 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 total tally rose to 31,998,158 as 28,204 new cases were registered in the past 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry on Tuesday.
Besides, as many as 373 deaths due to the pandemic since Monday morning took the total death toll to 428,682.
Europe has managed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. Mortality in Europe remains at a minimal level despite a new wave of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Britain recorded another 146 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest daily figure since March 12, according to official data released Tuesday.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 130,503. These figures only include the deaths of people who passed away within 28 days of their first positive test.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide in the past seven days has also increased to 4.3 million from 4.1 million in the previous week. The global case count has risen to the levels of mid-May 2021.
Read: Covid-19: Vaccination campaign begins at Rohingya camps
Situation in Bangladesh
As the Delta variant has sharply been fuelling Covid case surges, Bangladesh on Tuesday again saw a record 264 deaths in 24 hours.
On August 5, the country reported 264 deaths shattering its previous single-day record of 258 Covid-related fatalities on July 27.
Besides, 11,164 more people came out positive during the period after testing 47,424 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers have pushed Bangladesh’s total fatalities to 23,161 and cases to 1,376,322.
The case positivity rate during the 24-hour period fell slightly to 23.58% from Monday’s 24.28%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The recovery rate, however, rose to 89.71%, with the recovery of 14,903 people during the period, said the DGHS.
However, the case fatality rate remained unchanged at 1.68% during the period.
Mass vaccination update
In a bid to ensure the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, the government has decided to halt administering its first dose after August 12.
The Department of Health Services on Tuesday issued a notice in this regard after getting an approval from the Director General of DGHS.
Read: Bangladesh again hits record high 264 Covid deaths
The jabs for the second dose will soon be sent to the vaccination centres as per the requirement soon, the DGHS said.
The government will start administering the second dose of Sinopharm from August 14. The authorities concerned have been asked to take necessary steps in this regard.
As the ruthless Delta variant of Covid-19 keeps rising, Bangladesh on Saturday kicked off another phase of its mass vaccination drawing huge response.
With a fresh stock of vaccine doses in hand, the government’s aim is to inoculate 80% of its population, with each getting two doses administered.
Bangladesh eases lockdown, but Delta variant ready to hit freedom
Many people are overjoyed as the government is going to partly lift the prolonged lockdown, aiming to maintain a balance between the life and the livelihood.
But health experts are worried that the move may worsen the coronavirus pandemic as the Delta variant has already engulfed the country.
They said the restrictions are going to be relaxed when the country has been seeing over 200 deaths a day for the last three weeks. The caseload is also on the rise.
Also read: Govt eases lockdown from Aug 11 with some guidelines to follow
Bangladesh recorded 166 Covid deaths and 6,364 cases when the lockdown was imposed on July 23 and the country witnessed 264 deaths and 11,164 cases on the 20th day of lockdown (Tuesday) as the deadly Delta variant continues to wreak havoc.
Bangladesh again hits record high 264 Covid deaths
As the Delta variant has sharply been fueling case surges, Bangladesh saw a record high 264 deaths again as health authorities came up with their 24-hour report on Tuesday.
On August 5, the country reported 264 deaths shattering its previous single-day record of 258 Covid-related deaths on July 27.
Besides, 11,164 more people came out positive during the period after testing 47,424 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers pushed Bangladesh’s total fatality to 23,161 and total cases to 1,376,322.
The case positivity rate during the 24-hour period fell slightly to 23.58% from Monday’s 24.28%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The recovery rate, however, rose to 89.71%, with the recovery of 14,903 people during the period, said the DGHS.
However, the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.68% during the period.
Of the recent deceased, the highest 92 died in Dhaka division, followed by 60 in Chattogram, 27 in Khulna, 25 in Rajshahi, 18 in Mymensingh, 17 in Sylhet, 14 in Rangpur, and 11 in Barishal.
Of them, 154 were men and 110 were women.
As per their age breakdown, one was below 10 years of age, six between 21-30, 16 between 31-40, 25 between 41-50, 66 between 51-60, 85 between 61-70, 48 between 71-80, 12 between 81-90 and five were between 91-100 years of age.
Also read: Shattered by Covid, Bangladesh now awaits a dengue blow
Mission Inoculation: Military chopper takes jabs to remote Rangamati hills
The Bangladesh government's Covid-19 mass vaccination drive reached the Rangamati hills Tuesday, all thanks to the local administration and the Bangladeshi armed forces.
Barathali union of Bilaichhari upazila in Rangamati is one of the remotest parts of the Chattogram hills.
Read: 1.7mn Sinopharm vaccine doses to arrive soon
Despite beginning on August 7, the Rangamati health department struggled to take the benefits of the mega Covid-19 inoculation drive to this remote place.
Member of Parliament Dipankar Talukdar, in collaboration with the local administration and the Bangladeshi armed forces, came forward to ensure helicopter support for a team of the health department so that jabs could reach the Barathali union residents.
A helicopter of the Bangladesh Air Force took off for Bilachari on Tuesday morning from the Rangamati air base with vaccines and healthcare staffers, said Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Rashmi Chakma.
“Around 600 adults of the union will get their first Covid jab on Tuesday itself,” said Dr Rashmi. “Besides, the required medical equipment to treat Covid patients will also be provided."
Bilaichhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mizanur Rahman said his team repeatedly failed to vist the remote union because of security and communication concerns.
Read: 2 held over taking vaccine at home in Chattogram
He thanked the local MP and the Army for finally making it possible and hoped that the collaboration would continue.
As the ruthless Delta variant of Covid-19 keeps spreading like wildfire, Bangladesh on Saturday kicked off another phase of its mass vaccination drive aimed at inoculating 35 lakh people in six days.
Global Covid cases top 203 million
The global Covid-19 caseload has now surpassed 203 million, as the ferocious second wave of the corona pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world amid mass inoculation efforts.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 203,351,847 and 4,302,493, respectively, as of Tuesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
Read: Global Covid cases return to mid-May levels
So far, 4,447,184,520 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
The situation in North America has worsened noticeably in the past weeks. The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 35,947,913 cases. Besides, 617,318 people have lost their lives in the US to date, as per the JHU data.
Brazil has registered 411 more Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, raising its national death toll to 563,562, the health ministry said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the total caseload rose to 20,177,757 after 12,085 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 31,969,954 on Monday as 35,499 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours across the country, according to the federal health ministry.
Besides, as many as 447 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Sunday morning, taking the total death toll to 428,309.
Read: Covid vaccine: Temporary waiver sought on TRIPS
The number of Covid-19 cases confirmed worldwide in the past seven days increased to 4.3 million from 4.1 million of the previous week. The global case count rose to levels observed in mid-May 2021.
However, the geography of the disease differs. This spring, South America accounted for the majority of all cases. Now, North America and several Asian nations are bearing the brunt.
At the same time, Europe managed to contain the Covid-19 outbreak. Mortality in Europe remains at a minimal level despite a new wave of the pandemic.
Situation in Bangladesh
Teetering on the edge of a brutal Covid-19 infection wave, Bangladesh reported 245 more deaths and 11,463 new cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
The new numbers again raised the case fatality rate to 1.68% from Sunday’s 1.67%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the fresh deaths, the country’s total death tally reached 22,897 while the total cases mounted to 1,365,158.
The new cases were detected after the test of 47,207 samples, slightly lowering the case positivity rate to 24.28% from Sunday’s 24.52%, the DGHS said.
Read: Shattered by Covid, Bangladesh now awaits a dengue blow
Overwhelmed by the Delta variant of Covid surge, Bangladesh has been seeing around 250 deaths and 13,000 cases daily on an average for a week.
Besides, the recovery rate rose to 89.36% in Bangladesh from Sunday’s 89.05% with 14,412 new patients recovering from Covid during this time.
'10 times fewer virus particles needed to catch Delta variant'
The Delta variant of Covid-19 is much more transmissible than the original Wuhan variant, as it takes 10 times fewer virus particles to catch the infection, according to Rinat Maksyutov, director of the Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology.
"The Delta variant is transmitted from an infected organism to a non-infected one much quicker," he said.
Also read: CVASU study confirms Delta has taken over as dominant strai
The Delta variant was first reported in India in October 2020. This variant is capable of infecting people who have been vaccinated with the Covaxin and Covishield vaccines used in India, according to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.
The Delta Plus strain is believed to be even more contagious.
Also read: 'Moderate, severe forms predominant for Delta strain of Covid'
54 lakh more vaccine doses to arrive by Aug 15: Minister
Some 54 lakh more vaccine doses will arrive in Bangladesh by August 15 as the government has geared up its vaccination campaign, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Monday.
“Some 34 lakh doses of vaccine under Covax facility will arrive between August 9-10 to August 15 in addition to 10 lakh doses, purchased from China. Another 10 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine will arrive as a gift,” he said.
Read: Moderna says vaccine 93% effective but seeks 3rd-shot in fall
The health minister revealed the information while talking to reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat.
This will help the country make the ongoing vaccination drive more dynamic, he said, adding, “We’ve started a successful vaccination drive that actually began on August 7.”
Zahid Maleque said rural people are taking jabs in a festive mood as long queues are seen during vaccination. “We’ve planned to vaccinate 600 people in each union but people are overcrowding the vaccine centres,” he added.
Read: Dr Zafrullah describes how Bangladesh can go for low-cost vaccine production
Minister Maleque said, “Those who’ve failed to take shots in their arms got that the following day. Besides, the remote areas have also been brought under immunisation drive as they’re interested in taking shots now.”
He said the vaccination drive in municipality areas will continue alongside the routine vaccination 30 lakh people have been brought under the mega vaccination process. “We’ve got approval to procure 6 crore more doses of vaccine from China.”
Read: Covid vaccine seekers overwhelm Suhrawardy Hospital; chaos all around
As the ruthless Delta variant of Covid-19 keeps spreading like wildfire, Bangladesh on Saturday kicked off another phase of its mass vaccination drive aimed at inoculating 35 lakh people in six days.
Covid jabs will be administered simultaneously in 4,600 unions, 1,054 municipality areas and 433 wards of the city corporations, Director General of Health Services Dr ABM Khurshid Alam told the media on Friday.
India approves Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use
India has approved Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Saturday, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet, reports Gulf News.
The pharmaceutical giant had applied for emergency use approval of its vaccine, the company had said on Friday. The shot will be brought to India through a supply agreement with homegrown vaccine maker Biological E Ltd, J&J had said.
Read: Indian state to name roads & schools after Olympic medal winners
Indian health authorities have so far approved the use of vaccines developed by AstraZeneca (AZN.L), Bharat Biotech, Russia’s Gamaleya Institute and Moderna.
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 200 million earlier in the week, according to a Reuters tally, as the more-infectious Delta variant threatens areas with low vaccination rates and strains healthcare systems.
Read: World's highest motorable road is now in India
India has reported an average of 30,000 to 40,000 new coronavirus cases every day since July, and the federal government has warned that although cases have dipped from a high of 400,000 daily at the peak of the deadly second wave, the danger has not abated yet.