Daily deaths from Covid go up again

The death from Covid-19 jumped yesterday after a month, according to the health directorate data.

The directorate reported that 54 people breathed their last in 24 hours till 8:30am yesterday.

The number of confirmed cases also passed the 3-lakh mark.

Yesterday's death toll is the third highest daily death since the government reported the first casualty in the country on March 18.

Earlier, July 26 saw the same number of deaths, while July 5 and 7 saw the second highest deaths -- 55.

The highest 64 deaths were reported on June 30, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The number of deaths from the highly infectious virus rose to 4,082 -- around 1.35 percent of all confirmed cases.

With 2,519 more people testing positive for Covid-19, the confirmed cases reached 3,02,147, which is 20.34 percent of all people tested since January 21.

Some 15,070 samples were tested in the 24 hours.

According to a DGHS press release, the positivity rate was 16.72 percent yesterday, a significant reduction in more than a month.

Experts say it indicates that the transmission may be decreasing in hotspot cities.

The majority of the tests are being done in Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Chattogram cities, and the positivity rate is now low there. So, it can be said the transmission is slowing down there, said Prof Ridwanur Rahman, an infectious disease specialist, told The Daily Star yesterday.

But it is not the whole picture as there is no data about the situation outside the major cities, he added.

Prof Ridwanur said the transmission of the disease in the country might linger until vaccinating a significant number of populations to achieve herd immunity.

"Achieving natural herd immunity is far away, in fact, impossible. We need active measures to suppress the virus, but we did not do so. Now, the transmission is out of control," he added.

According to the press release, nearly 63 percent of Covid-19 patients have recovered, including yesterday's 3,427 ones.

Like any other day, deaths among male patients were higher than female ones yesterday as 39 of the deceased were males.

Over 78 percent of the all deceased were males, according to the DGHS.

Yesterday's deceased were aged between 31 and above 60.

Of the victims, two each were from Mymensingh, Sylhet and Barishal divisions, three from Rangpur, four from Rajshahi, nine each from Khulna and Chattogram, and the highest 23 were from Dhaka division.

Five of them died in their homes and 49 in hospitals, the release added.