Rigorous steps a must to curb virus infection

The total number of deaths for coronavirus surpassed 6,500 mark in the country as 37 more died of the virus in the last 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday.

Based on weekly analysis of the number of infections, a total of 15,279 people were tested positive for the virus in the last week from last Friday.

The number was 13,961 in the previous week, according to data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Besides, the number of daily new cases surpassed 2,000 mark on November 16 which did not go down ever since except on Saturday November 21. On the day the number was 1,847.

Considering the increasing trend in deaths and infections in the last one month, experts said the needed rigorous infection control and uninterrupted oxygen supply at more hospitals to save lives.

"If we observe last month's daily death and infection trend, it is clear the Covid-19 situation is worsening. And it may turn more severe in December. So, we have to stay aware of it," Mahbuba Zamil, head of the virology lab at the Institute of Public Health, told The Daily Star.

With the latest figure, the total number of deaths reached 6,524.

This was 1.43 percent of all confirmed cases in the country, according to a press release of DGHS.

Against a total of 17,052 samples tested in the past 24 hours, 2,292 new people were tested positive for coronavirus.

This was 13.44 percent against the total tests yesterday.

With the latest figure, the total number of infected people rose to 456,438, added the release.

Excluding the deaths and recovered patients, the number of patients undergoing treatment was 78,498.

Of them, 2,861 were in hospitals while the rest were undergoing treatment at home.

If the number of severely ill patients increases more, they would need mainly oxygen therapy along with other medical intervention, experts said.

This was 16.82 percent of 2,713,202 tests done since January 21.

"Oxygen therapy is very much urgent and we [NTAC] have reiterated our call for uninterrupted oxygen supply at all hospitals. And we will need central oxygen supply system," Prof Nazrul Islam, member of National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19, told The Daily Star.

In the same 24-hour period, a total of 2,274 Covid-19 patients have recovered from their illnesses.

The total number of recoveries rose to 371,453 and the recovery rate was 81.38 percent.

Among the 37 dead, 25 were men and 12 women. All of them died at hospitals.

One of them aged between 11 and 20 years, one between 31 and 40, two between 41 and 50, eight between 51 and 60, and 25 above 60 years, added the release.