Social distancing is just a dream here in Karwan Bazar wholesale market as buyers and sellers mingle without caring about the health safety norms amid the pandemic on Thursday — FE photo 
Both the number of new cases and fatalities maintained up trends as 2,316 more people got infected with Covid-19 and 35 others died of the deadly disease during the past 24 hours ending at 8:00 am on Thursday.
With new deaths, the toll from Covid-19 rose to 6,748 until Thursday since the virus was first detected in Bangladesh in March last, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 16,807 samples were tested during the last 24 hours as against some 16,838 samples collected across the country during the reporting period, said a press release issued by DGHS.
Although the rate of fatalities remained static at 1.43 per cent, the rate of Covid-19 infection was 13.78 per cent on the day.
However, a total of 2,593 people recovered from Covid-19 during the last 24 hours, the release added.
The rate of recovery from the disease was recorded at 82.33 per cent on Thursday, it said.
According to the official data, a total of 471,739 people have been so far infected with Covid-19 in Bangladesh and of them, 388,379 recovered from the deadly disease.
On the other hand, a total of 2,820,981 samples have been so far tested in the country since March last, the DGHS data showed.
However, the government will start much-hyped alternative antigen tests for Covid-19 in the country from Saturday in an effort to widen the sample testing facility, officials said.
Initially, 10 districts will come under such testing facility. The districts are: Panchagarh, Gaibandha, Joypurhat, Patuakhali, Meherpur, Munshiganj, Brahmanbaria, Jashore, Madaripur and Sylhet.
The initiative for antigen tests has mainly taken in the areas where PCR testing is unavailable and the infection rate is comparatively high.
Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (admin) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), confirmed the matter.
She said, "We have imparted training to health staff for conducting antigen tests smoothly and it will continue."
"The antigen test is not recommended for all. The persons who will fulfil the criteria will only be allowed to undergo test," she added.
Health experts and the national technical advisory committee for Covid-19 have long been urging the government to take measures for enhancing testing capacity (at least 25,000-30,000 PCR lab testing daily).
Besides, DGHS and the national technical advisory committee on Covid-19, among others, recommended the government introduce antigen and anti-body tests.
Bangladesh is still lagging behind in testing Covid-19 samples despite an increase in death and infection rates amid the possible second wave of the deadly virus.
Taking the experts' call into consideration, the health and family welfare ministry on September 17 approved the antigen test.
According to the guidelines, if anyone comes positive in the antigen test, he/she will be considered coronavirus positive and need no other tests for Covid-19.
But if a suspected patient in antigen test is found negative, the patient will be suggested for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) lab testing. It has also suggested testing within 1-7 days, if anyone shows Covid-19 symptoms.
The health ministry allowed antigen tests as per interim guidelines of World Health Organization.
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