Seven people caught Covid per minute in last 16 days

At least seven people tested positive for coronavirus every minute in the last 16 days as the health directorate recorded 1,70,664 new cases during this period.

The number surpasses the 1,47,837 cases recorded in April, which was the month with the record number of new cases.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the number of deaths from Covid this month was 2,962, which breaks the record of deaths reported in a month since the first cases were detected in Bangladesh on March 8, 2020.

The DGHS yesterday reported 12,236 new cases and 187 deaths. The total number of cases reached 10,71,774 and the deaths 17,465.

After April this year, the infection rate began to drop in May. But from mid-June, the numbers started to go up.

Last year, the highest, 92,178, cases were recorded in July.

Meanwhile, as the restrictions were lifted, shoppers rushed to the shopping malls while home-bound people flocked to the terminals.

The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 expressed deep concerns over the decision of lifting the nationwide lockdown.

At an online meeting of the committee on July 12, the committee recommended extending the lockdown for another 14 days.

However, the government relaxed the lockdown from July 15 to July 23. And from July 23 to August 5, the "strict lockdown" will be reinstated.

Yesterday's positivity rate was 28.96 percent while the overall positivity rate is 15.08 percent.

Yesterday's new cases were detected after 41,947 samples were tested across the country in 24 hours.

The total number of recoveries now stands at 9,14,343 at a recovery rate of 84.36 percent.

Among the 187 deceased, 113 were men and 74 women. Of them, two were aged between 11 and 20, seven between 21 and 30, 11 between 31 and 40, 30 between 41 and 50, 36 between 51 and 60, 54 between 61 and 70, 30 between 71 and 80, 12 between 81 and 90, four between 91 and 100, and one above 100.