DHAKA, – Bangladesh today reported 42 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a daily count, raising the death toll from the pandemic to 930.

“The caseload has also surged to 68,504 after 2,735 people tested COVID-19 positive in the last 24 hours,” DGHS Additional Director General Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in the city.

She said the recovery count rose to 14,560 as another 657 patients were released from hospitals in the same period.

The health official also informed that a total of 12,944 samples were tested at 52 authorised labs across the country during that time.

Bangladesh confirmed the first coronavirus death on March 18, ten days after the detection of the first COVID-19 cases.