Testing on the decline

The number of Covid-19 tests has been declining in the country for the last few days.

A total of 13,480 samples were tested on Friday, 15,632 on Thursday, and 15,672 on Wednesday.

At a time when inadequate testing facilities kept many cases out of radar, such a decline in the number of tests would accelerate the risk of transmission, said experts.

Prof Nazrul Islam, member of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC), yesterday told The Daily Star, "It [decreasing number of tests] is our bad luck. Maybe the situation is deteriorating but it is tough to assume the reality due to inadequate testing."

The tests do not represent the reality in our country, he said, adding, "Let's see what happens after Eid-ul-Azha."

Coming down heavily on the top officials of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the health ministry, the noted virologist said, "We [NTAC] have been recommending many things; but who cares?"

The officials who have been working hard to control Covid-19 outbreak will be disheartened due to the wrong deeds of the top health officials, he said.

In the last 24 hours till 2:30pm yesterday, a total of 11,193 samples were tested in 77 rt-PCR labs across the country.

Of them, 24 percent -- 2,686 people -- tested positive for the virus, according to DGHS.

Meanwhile, 30 people died of Covid-19 yesterday.

With the fatalities and new cases, the death toll now reached at 2,305 -- 1.27 percent of all confirmed cases, and the total number of confirmed cases rose to 929,465 -- 19.49 percent of all people tested.

Including yesterday's 1,628 patients, the total number of recovered patients rose to 88,034 -- 48.60 percent of all confirmed cases.

Among the yesterday's deceased, 25 were male and five were female. Of them, 13 were from Dhaka, 10 from Chattogram, three from Rajshahi, three from Khulna and one from Barishal divisions.

Three were aged between 31 and 40, three between 41 and 50, eight between 51 and 60, 12 between 61 and 70, three between 71 and 80 and one was between 81 and 90 years.

A total of 853 people were put under isolation in the last 24 hours.