Put your mask back on

With Covid cases rising every day, health officials have urged the people to wear a mask and take vaccines to keep the viral disease at bay.

The cases have gone up by around 308 percent on average in a week.

Yesterday, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported 232 new cases, up from 162 the previous day.

The daily positivity rate was 3.88 percent, the highest since February 27 when the figure was 4.01 percent.

No death was reported for the day.

Prof Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general (administration) of DGHS, yesterday said the country has not seen the end of Covid yet. "You saw the striking report yesterday… [Tuesday's positivity rate was] nearly four percent. We call it an epidemic when the rate goes over five percent."

Addressing a roundtable on the health budget at the DGHS headquarters, he said only taking vaccines cannot give people full protection against the novel coronavirus.

"Taking vaccines will give you the benefit that you will not need to be hospitalised. But you have to wear a face covering [to be safe from Covid]."

Ahmedul called upon the media to create awareness in this regard.

The virus has so far claimed 29,131 lives in the country.

The first Covid cases were reported in Bangladesh on March 8, 2020. Since then, more than 19.55 lakh confirmed cases have been reported as of yesterday.

In neighbouring India, Covid cases have also been on the rise.

In 24 hours, the country logged a total of 8,822 new cases and 15 deaths, reports the Times of India.