Health Desk

Bangladesh recorded 20 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 473 fresh cases overnight. The recovery count rose to 4,76,413 after another 514 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on Sunday. “Twenty more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 8,023,” the release said.

It said the tally of infections has surged to 5,31,799 as 473 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A total of 14,169 samples were tested at 200 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 3.34 percent tested positive, while 14.96 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, the release added.

Among the total infections, 89.59 percent patients have recovered, while 1.51 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8.

Among the 20 deaths, 16 are male and four female the press release said, adding one is in his 20s, one in his 40s, five are in their 50s while 13 are above 60 years.

According to the division-wise data, 12 deaths took place in Dhaka division and rests are in other divisions.

Among the total 8,023 fatalities, 4,452 deaths occurred in Dhaka division,

1,471 in Chattogram division, 458 in Rajshahi division, 546 in Khulna

division, 241 in Barishal division, 301 in Sylhet division, 355 in Rangpur

division and 187 in Mymensingh division, according to the press release.

A total of 35,55,558 samples have so far been tested since the detection of

the first COVID-19 cases in the country.

The DGHS said in order to make treatment facilities easily available for

the COVID-19 patients, the government has introduced telemedicine services

comprising 100 physicians for round the clock in the country.

A total of 7,05,075 people have so far received healthcare services from

telemedicine.

The DGHS said 2,34,47,235 people received healthcare services from hotline

mobile numbers and health web portals as the government formed a group of

medical professionals to provide emergency healthcare services.

To receive information and treatment facilities on COVID-19, the contact

hotline and mobile numbers are 16263; 333; 10655 and 01944333222.

As of January 24, 2021, 11:45 GMT, 2,132,012 people have died so far from

the COVID-19 outbreak and there are currently 99,404,510 confirmed cases in

212 countries and territories, according to Worldometer, a reference website

that provides counters and real-time statistics for diverse topics.

China was the world’s first country which on January 11 reported the first

death from the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s

Hubei province.