Over 2K Covid cases for 3rd straight day

The authorities reported over 2,000 new Covid-19 cases for the third straight day yesterday, raising concerns over the possible second wave of the Covid-19 outbreak in the winter.

The number of daily reported cases remained around the 1,500-mark for the previous two months.

In 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday, 2,111 people tested positive for the virus, said a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services.

With this, the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 4,38,795.

Against a total of 16,469 tests in 115 labs in the same 24 hours, the positivity rate was 12.82 percent, which is lower than the previous day's 13.83 percent.

According to experts, the daily positivity rate is one of the important parameters to measure the transmission level of the virus.

If the positivity rate remains below five percent and does not increase, it means the transmission is under control, according to epidemiologists.

Throughout the last two months till last week, the positivity rate was almost every day below 12 percent, which started increasing during last week.

Since last month, countries across Europe and America are seeing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases with the advent of winter after successfully slowing outbreaks earlier in the year.

Observing a rising trend in Covid-19 infections and deaths, experts in Bangladesh stressed the need for immediate acceleration of scientific virus curb measures to stop the transmission.

"Without scientific measures, random administrative orders will not work … We have to assign volunteers across the country to increase awareness," Dr Mushtaq Hussain, consultant of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, told The Daily Star on Tuesday.

Meanwhile in those 24 hours, 21 people died from Covid-19, taking the number of deaths to 6,275, said the DGHS press release.

The death rate now stands at 1.43 percent, and the overall positivity rate is now 16.97 percent.

In the same period, 1,893 Covid-19 patients recovered from their illness.

The total number of recoveries rose to 3,54,788, which was 80.86 percent of all confirmed cases.

Of the 21 deceased, 14 were males and seven females.

One was aged under 10, one between 31 and 40, six were aged between 51 and 60, and 13 were above 60 years, added the release.