Bump up daily test numbers

Although the number of tests declined yesterday, the number of confirmed cases rose from the previous day as 3,057 people were found infected with coronavirus and 41 people died of the virus.

On Monday, a total of 2,928 people or 21.91 percent of all the 13,362 tests were found to be positive for Covid-19.

Yesterday, the positivity rate rose to 23.70 percent over the 24 hours till 8:30am after conducting 12,898 tests, according to the health directorate.

Experts said the transmission of Covid-19 is on the rise and stressed on adequate tests daily.

"If we consider positivity rate over the last 10 days, it is clear transmission is on the rise and we should increase testing," Dr Mushtuq Hussain, a consultant of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) told The Daily Star.

Between July 5 and July 15, the day-on-day positivity rate rose from 19.57 to 25.23 percent.

Since then, the rate has not dipped below 21 percent, DGHS data shows.

Forty-one people have died from coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, said Prof Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) during a briefing yesterday.

The death toll rose to 2,709, which constitutes 1.29 percent of the total 2,10,510 confirmed cases.

With yesterday's new cases, the overall positivity rate was 19.96 percent, up from 19.92 percent the previous day the rate in the previous day's 19.92.

So far, a total of 10,54,559 samples were tested in 70 Covid-19 testing labs across the country.

In the past 24 hours till 8:30am yesterday, 1,841 Covid-19 patients have recovered, which takes the total number of recoveries to 1,15,397 -- 54.82 percent of all confirmed cases.

Of those who died yesterday, 34 were male and seven female. Thirty-one died in hospitals and 10 died in their homes.

Of all deceased, 2,138 were male while 571 were female.

Division-wise, 15 each were from Dhaka and Chattogram, one from Rangpur, five each from Rajshahi and Khulna.

So far, Dhaka Division has witnessed the highest number of deaths and cases, according to the DGHS.

A total of 1,320 -- 48.73 percent of the deceased -- were from this division, followed by Chattogram, which has seen 688 deaths as of yesterday.

Mymensing Division has the lowest number of fatalities, 58, so far.

Of the deceased reported yesterday, one was aged between 21 and 30, two between 31 and 40, six between 41 and 50, 12 between 51 and 60, and 20 were above 60 years old.

Over the 24-hour duration, a total of 823 people were put into isolation while 801 patients were released from isolation.

As of yesterday, a total of 18,612 are in isolation.