Infections see sharp rise in second month

Bangladesh recorded over 100 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 18 days of the second month since the detection of the first positive cases in the country.

It was this second month when the country reported the highest number of infections, around 98 percent, a picture quite similar to that of countries hit hard by the lethal virus.

On March 7, the health authorities registered the first cases of infection, and the first fatality was reported on March 18. It took a little over a month, on April 20, when the fatalities crossed the 100 mark.

But in the last month, the number of deaths and infections kept surging. In the past 18 days, the country reported 100 more deaths from coronavirus infection, passing the 200 mark.

Yesterday too, the health authorities confirmed seven more deaths and 709 new cases of infection after testing 5,941 samples at 35 labs. With this, the death toll from the deadly virus rose to 206, and the number of infected people stood at 13,134.

According to the World Health Organisation, the  conumber of Covid-19 positive cases in the first two months in the US, the worst hit country, was 15,219 with about 99.9 percent people being infected in the second month.

In Italy, the number of infected people was 92,472 in the first two months and 98.78 percent cases were recorded in the second month.

The cases in Spain and the UK were similar. Of the total infected in the first two months in Spain, about 99.95 percent Covid-19 positive cases were recorded in the second month.

In the UK, the number of people infected with novel coronavirus in the first two months was 25,154. Over 99 percent of them were infected in the second month.

However, the situation in the US and the UK deteriorated in the third month.

During an online press briefing on the country's Covid-19 situation, Prof Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services, said 191 patients recovered across the country in the last 24 hours.

Now, the recovery number stands at 2,101, she said.

Among the seven deceased, five were male and two female. They were aged between 51 and 90, she said.

Despite the rising number of infections and deaths, the government earlier this month declared reopening of the economy, including opening of shopping malls and stores across the country, tomorrow, with the condition of maintaining safety guidelines.

Local stores continue to open, including tea stalls, since the day the directive was issued on May 4.

A number of people flocked to mosques yesterday to offer their Juma prayers after four weeks as restrictions on going to mosques were lifted with some conditions.

Talking to this correspondent, Shahabuddin Ahmed, an official of a non-banking financial institution, said, "We don't know when the [coronavirus] spread will stop? But one thing is clear, it's not going to be over soon."