DHAKA,  – Bangladesh today recorded 37 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 2,459 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 1, 11,642 after another 1,546 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a top health official said.

“Thirty-seven more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 2618,” Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at DGHS in the city this afternoon.

She said the tally of infections has surged to 2,04,525 as 2,459 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

The health official also informed that a total of 10,625 samples were tested at 80 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Among the total infections, 54.59 percent patients have recovered while 1.28 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8, she said.

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

The health officials urged healthcare professionals, journalists and members of the law enforcement agencies and other sections of people, who are performing their duties amid the pandemic, to follow preventive measures strictly to protect themselves from the infection of the deadly virus.

Alongside maintaining health codes, she said, the people should keep their mental health strong through practicing creative works, spending times on entertainment activities and following healthy lifestyle.

Nasima dubbed Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chattogram as COVID-19 “hotspots” because the maximum numbers of cases were detected in the three cities.

Among the 37 deaths, 29 are male and eight female, Nasima said adding, one is in his 20s, one in his 30s while three are in his 40s, six in their 50s, 20 in their 60s, four in their 70s, one in his 80s and one in his 90s.

According to the division-wise data, 15 deaths took place in Dhaka division, seven in Khulna divisions, and eight in Chattogram division, while the rests are in other divisions.

Of the total 2,618 deaths, 1,284 are in division, 666 in Chattogram division, 140 in Rajshahi division, 163 in Khulna division, 98 in Barishal division, 122 in Sylhet division, 88 in Rangpur division and 58 in Mymensingh division.

She said a total of 10,28,299 samples have so far been tested since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the country.

The DGHS said 1,69,22,681 people received healthcare services from hotline mobile numbers and health web portals as the government formed a group of medical professionals to provide emergency health services.

To receive information and treatment facilities on COVID-19, the contact hotline and mobile numbers are 16263; 333; 10655 and 01944333222.

As of July 19, 2020, 10.19 GMT, 605,586 have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are 14,450,006 currently confirmed cases in 212 countries and territories, according to Worldometer, a reference website that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics.

China was the world’s first country which on January 11 reported the first death from the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province.