Bangladesh reports 34 COVID-19 deaths, 1,79,091 total recoveries

Publish: 6:34 PM, August 23, 2020 | Update: 6:34 PM, August 23, 2020

DHAKA, – Bangladesh today recorded 34 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 1,973 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 1,79,091 after another 3,524 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said today.

“Thirty-four more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 3,941,” the release said.

It said the tally of infections has surged to 2,94,598 as 1,973 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A total of 10,801 samples were tested at 91 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 18.27 percent tested positive, while 20.42 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, the release added.

Among the total infections, 60.79 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.

Among the 34 deaths, 24 are male and 10 female, the press release said, adding one is in his 20s, three in their 30s, two in their 40s, six in their 50s, while 22 are above 60 years.

According to the division-wise data, 18 deaths took place in Dhaka division, five in Chattogram division, four in Rajshahi division, four in Sylhet division and rests are in other divisions.

Among the total 3,941 deaths, 1,899 deaths occurred in Dhaka division, 873 in Chattogram division, 259 in Rajshahi division, 316 in Khulna division, 154 in Barishal division, 184 in Sylhet division, 165 in Rangpur division and 83 in Mymensingh division, according to the press release.

A total of 14,42,656 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 2,37,375 people have so far received healthcare services from telemedicine, it said.

The DGHS said 1,93,19,910 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 23, 2020, 10.14 GMT, 808,992 have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are 23,401,141 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.