DHAKA,  – Bangladesh today recorded the highest number of deaths and recoveries from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) overnight.

“Fifty-three more COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll from the pandemic to 1,262,” Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at DGHS in the city.

She said the recovery count rose to 36,264 after another 2237 patients, the highest in a single day, were discharged from the hospitals during the period.

The health official said the tally of infections has surged to 94,481 after 3,862 new cases, the steepest jump in a single day, were confirmed in the 24 hours.

Among the total infections, 38.38 percent patients have recovered, while 1.34 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8, she said.

Nasima also informed that a total of 17,214 samples, a record number in a day, were tested at 61 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.

Globally, over 8.04 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 437,130 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.