Live Correspondent: Bangladesh today recorded 42 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 2,995 fresh cases overnight.

The recovery count rose to 1,53,089 after another 1,117 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a press release of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said today.

“Forty-two more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 3,513,” the release said.

The tally of infections has surged to 2,66,498 as 2,995 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

A total of 14,751 samples were tested at 86 authorized laboratories across the country during the time.

Of the total sample tests in the past 24 hours, 20.30 percent tested positive, while 20.46 percent cases were detected from the total tests conducted so far, the press release also said.

Among the total infections, 57.44 percent patients have recovered, while 1.32 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8.

Among the 42 deaths, 33 are male and nine female, the press release said, adding one is in his 20s, two in their 30s, four in their 40s, 11 in their 50s and 24 in their 60s.

According to the division-wise data, 27 deaths took place in Dhaka division, four in Sylhet division and rests are in other divisions.

Among the total 3,513 deaths, 1,681 deaths occurred in Dhaka division, 819 in Chattogram division, 226 in Rajshahi division, 271 in Khulna division, 135 in Barishal division, 162 in Sylhet division, 141 in Rangpur division and 78 in Mymensingh division, according to the press release.

A total of 13,02,739 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 70 physicians and 20 health workers, for round the clock in the country.

A total of 192,577 people have so far received healthcare services from telemedicine.

Referring to the updated information of World Health Organization (WHO), the DGHS said till August 10, infection rate of COVID-19 is 64.7 percent in Dhaka division, 14.4 percent in Chattogram, 5.5 percent in Rajshahi division, 5.1 percent in Khulna division, 2.5 percent in Barishal division, 2.7 percent in Rangpur division and 1.9 percent in Mymensingh division.

It said 1,87,16,604 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 Aug 12, 2020, 10.26 GMT, 746,644 have died so far from the COVID-19 outbreak and there are 20,552,811 currently 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.

Dhaka, 12 August (campuslive24.com)//MI