DHAKA, – Bangladesh recorded 25 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 3,567 fresh cases overnight, a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said today. During the late winter season, infection rate started decreasing sharply as the country reported 2.30 percent coronavirus positive cases on February 8 this year while the figure has surged significantly at recent times.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 12.97 percent tested positive, while 12.94 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, the release added. A total of 27,502 samples were tested at 221 authorized laboratories across the country during the time. “Twenty-five more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 8,763,” the release said.

It said the tally of infections has surged to 5,80,808 as 3,567 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours. The recovery count rose to 5,27,909 after another 1,915 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period. Among the total infections, 90.89 percent patients have recovered, while 1.51 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8.

Among the 25 deaths, 18 are male and seven female, the press release said, adding two are in their 40s, nine in their 50s while 14 are above 60 years. According to the division-wise data, 18 deaths took place in Dhaka Division. Among the total 8,763 fatalities, 4,947 deaths occurred in Dhaka division, 1,606 in Chattogram division, 489 in Rajshahi division, 570 in Khulna division, 265 in Barishal division, 316 in Sylhet division, 370 in Rangpur division and 199 in Mymensingh division, according to the press release. A total of 44,87,686 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 100 physicians for round the clock in the country.

It added that 2,39,71,535 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 March 24, 2021, 10:36 GMT, 2,748,470 people have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are currently 124,908,609 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, 2020 reported the first death from the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province.