DHAKA, Sept 22 (NNN-BSS) – The positivity rate for new COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh, reported by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), fell to 4.69 percent yesterday, the lowest level in more than six months, amid the country’s vaccination drive bolstered by Chinese jab support and other sources.
The country reported 1,562 new cases and 26 new deaths yesterday, taking the total tally to 1,545,800 and the death toll to 27,277.
On Mar 8, the DGHS data showed the single-day infection rate was 4.98 percent.
Health officials said, the gradual drop in infection, indicates that the country’s COVID-19 situation is improving, owing to the vaccination drive.
Bangladesh’s vaccination drive is now running smoothly in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere, largely thanks to China’s continued vaccine support.
Bangladesh began the COVID-19 vaccination drive in Jan, to contain the pandemic that has spread across the country.
The Bangladeshi government subsequently halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after India banned vaccine exports.
In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the China-donated Sinopharm vaccine.
Bangladesh has so far received around 25 million Sinopharm vaccine doses from China. On Saturday alone, Bangladesh received five million doses of Sinopharm vaccine.
On Sept 11, 5.4 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka from China.
To fight against the earlier alarming spike in COVID-19 cases, Bangladesh also signed an agreement on the co-production of the Chinese vaccines locally.
According to the DGHS, the country so far administered over 35 million doses of vaccine, out of around 50 million doses it received so far. Of the administered vaccine doses, some 21 million people received their first shot, while more than 14 million got their second shot, helping the country to rein in fresh infections.
Official data showed, 33,327 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. Total number of recovered patients stood at 1,504,709, including 1,603 new recoveries, said the DGHS.
According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is 1.76 percent and the current recovery rate is 97.34 percent.
Bangladesh recorded the highest daily new cases of 16,230 on July 28, and the highest number of 264 deaths on Aug 5 and Aug 10.– NNN-BSS
