DHAKA,  – Bangladesh today recorded 33 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 2,996 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 1,51,972 after another 1,535 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a top health official said.

“Thirty-three more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 3,471,” 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 2,63,503 as 2,996 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

The health official also informed that a total of 14,820 samples were tested at 86 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 20.22 percent tested positive, while 20.46 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, Nasima added.

Among the total infections, 57.67 percent patients have recovered while 1.32 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8, she said.

Referring to the updated information of World Health Organization (WHO), Nasima said till August 10, infection rate of COVID-19 is 64.7 percent in Dhaka division, 14.4 percent in Chattogram, 5.5 percent in Rajshahi division, 5.1 percent in Khulna division, 2.5 percent in Barishal division, 2.7 percent in Rangpur division and 1.9 percent in Mymensingh division.

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

Among the 33 deaths, 28 are male and five female, she said, adding five are in their 30s, two in their 40s, five in their 50s, 14 in their 60s, three in their 70s and three in their 80s while one is between 10 to 20.

According to the division-wise data, 15 deaths took place in Dhaka division, five in Chattogram and five in Rajshahi division and rests are in other divisions.

Among the total 3,471 deaths, Nasima said, 1,654 deaths occurred in Dhaka division, 816 in Chattogram division, 226 in Rajshahi division, 268 in Khulna division, 134 in Barishal division, 158 in Sylhet division, 139 in Rangpur division and 76 in Mymensingh division.

She said a total of 12,27,988 samples have so far been tested since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the country.

Nasima said in order to make treatment facilities easily available for the COVID-19 patients, the government has introduced telemedicine services, comprising 70 physicians and 20 health workers, for round the clock in the country.

“In the past 24 hours, 1678 coronavirus patients received treatments from telemedicine services. Of them, 85.14 percent were mild cases, 12.50 percent moderate and 2.36 percent critical cases,” she added.

The DGHS said a total of 188,392 people have so far received healthcare services from telemedicine.

It said 1,86,51,099 people received healthcare services from hotline mobile numbers and health web portals as the government formed a group of medical professionals to provide emergency healthcare services.

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

As of Aug 11, 2020, 10.26 GMT, 739,761 have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are 20,280,518 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.