Bangladesh yesterday witnessed 37 more Covid-19 related deaths in 24 hours ending at 8:00am yesterday.

The death tally now stands at 12,248 while the mortality rate remains static at 1.56 percent.

Besides, the country saw 1,608 new cases with an increased number of tests as 20,538 samples were tested during the period, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The infection rate rose to 7.83 percent from Tuesday's 7.55 percent.

The country reported 30 deaths from the virus on Tuesday and 32 on Monday.

Among the latest fatalities, 24 are men and 13 are women.

Sixteen of them were from Dhaka, 15 from Chattogram, two each from Khulna and Sylhet and one each from Mymensingh and Rangpur divisions.

Amid concerns over the Indian variant of coronavirus spreading into Bangladesh, 11 people, who returned from India on May 5, have tested positive for Covid-19.

All of them are now undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of Satkhira Medical College and Hospital.

Some 142 Bangladeshi nationals returned from India on May 5 and the samples of all the returnees were collected for tests.

Of them, 11 tested positive. The results came out on Tuesday night, said Satkhira Civil Surgeon Husain Safayet.

The others were kept at three quarantine centres in Satkhira and their quarantine period will be completed today.

However, the samples of the 11 Covid-19 patients will be sent to IEDCR for testing to know whether those are of the deadly Indian variants.

Meanwhile, panic gripped the residents of Satkhira town after hearing that the Indian returnees have been kept in different hotels there.

As India has been experiencing a new strain of Covid-19, the government imposed restrictions along the border areas of Bangladesh.

According to the World Health Organisation, the Indian variant has already spread to 60 countries across the world.