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CORONAVIRUS

BD logs 7 more Covid deaths, 469 cases

US gives $25m in urgent assistance


FE REPORT | October 20, 2021 00:00:00


Daily Covid-19 positivity rate rose again to 2.20 per cent on Tuesday as 469 more people got infected with the deadly virus in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

The latest infection rate came after medical screening of 21,308 samples.

After four days of the downtrend, the coronavirus infection rate crossed over 2.0 per cent, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The positivity rates were 1.88 per cent, 1.74 per cent and 1.80 per cent on October 16, 17 and 18 respectively.

Despite the increase, the infection rate has stayed below 5.0 per cent for 15 consecutive days while the entire infection rate in the country stood at 15.45 per cent.

According to the latest coronavirus-related data from the DGHS, the total caseload of the viral disease stood at 15,66,296.

In terms of fatalities, the country saw 7 more deaths during the same period and it raised the death toll to 27,785, the official data showed.

Like other days, Dhaka counted highest three deaths followed by Chittagong with two fatalities while Khulna and Rangpur divisions registered one death each.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if the daily-case positivity rate remains at 5 per cent or below for 14 days it is considered to be safe for mass unlocking.

The daily-case positivity rate in Bangladesh had reached the highest of 32.55 per cent on July 24 this year.

Meanwhile, the US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced an additional $25million in urgent Covid-19 assistance to help Bangladesh provide life-saving medical and oxygen supplies and cold chain equipment to store, transport and administer vaccines safely.

In addition to US-donated vaccines, this new US assistance will help Bangladesh expand vaccinations to people across the country, enable health workers to treat critically ill patients more effectively, and enhance the quality of care in health facilities.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the US government has now provided a total of over $121million to support Bangladesh's response to Covid-19 and continues to work closely with the Bangladesh government and other partners to protect the health of Bangladeshis, says a press release from the US Embassy in Dhaka.

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