DHAKA, – Bangladesh today recorded 37 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 2,595 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 1,60,591 after another 1,641 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said today.

“Thirty-seven more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 3,694,” the release said.

It said the tally of infections has surged to 2,79,144 as 2,595 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A total of 12,523 samples were tested at 87 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 20.72 percent tested positive, while 20.46 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, the release added.

Among the total infections, 57.53 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.

Among the 37 deaths, 28 are male and nine female, the press release said, adding three are in their 30s, eight in their 40s, eight in their 50s and 18 in their 60s.

According to the division-wise data, 20 deaths took place in Dhaka division, six in Khulna division and rests are in other divisions.

Among the total 3,694 deaths, 1,768 deaths occurred in Dhaka division, 841 in Chattogram division, 243 in Rajshahi division, 295 in Khulna division, 142 in Barishal division, 174 in Sylhet division, 151 in Rangpur division and 80 in Mymensingh division, according to the press release.

A total of 13,64,189 samples have so far been tested since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases in the country.

The DGHS 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.

A total of 2,13,874 people have so far received healthcare services from telemedicine.

Referring to the updated information of World Health Organization (WHO), the DGHS 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.

It said 1,89,97,588 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 August 17, 2020, 10.35 GMT, 773,559 have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are 21,850,819 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.