Bangladesh today recorded 34 more deaths from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 3,504 fresh cases overnight.
The recovery count rose to 54,318 after another 1,185 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the period, a top health official said.
�Thirty-four more COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, increasing the death toll from the pandemic to 1,695,� Additional Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing at DGHS in the city.
She said the tally of infections has surged to 1, 33,978 as 3,504 new cases were confirmed in the 24 hours.
The health official also informed that a total of 15,157 samples were tested at 58 the authorised laboratories across the country during the time.
Among the total infections, 40.54 percent patients have recovered while 1.27 percent died so far since the first COVID-19 positive cases were reported in the country on March 8, she said.
Bangladesh confirmed the first coronavirus death on March 18, ten days after the detection of the first COVID-19 cases.
Explaining implementation process of zoning system to prevent the disease, Nasima said Bangladesh has been divided into three categories � red, yellow and green � by considering infection rate of COVID-19.
Under the zoning system, a 13-member advisory committee is working to determine zoning maps, she said, adding: �This is continuous process� No areas will remain under specific zoning maps permanently.�
The health official urged the people to abide by health rules to protect themselves from the infection of the deadly virus.
�We�ve to be aware more about codes � Health protection measures are the best remedies to prevent the pandemic,� she added.
Nasima laid emphasis on maintaining three heath directives � wearing mask, physical distancing and washing hands by soap � to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Referring to latest health directives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the health official said the people must wear masks to protect themselves from infections of coronavirus and mentioned that scientifically cloth-made mask is equally effective to prevent the virus.
�We can reuse cloth-made masks after washing by detergents or soaps,� Nasima said.
She said nearly 75 percent COVID-19 patients are taking treatment from their homes, and many of them are being cured every day after receiving treatment through hotlines.
The health official dubbed Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chattogram as COVID-19 �hotspots� because the maximum numbers of cases were detected in the three cities.
As of June 24, Dhaka city has been considered as the worst-affected with 27,267 COVID cases, according to Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
As of June 25, among the COVID-19-prone districts, Chattogram district including city areas and Narayanganj including city areas are the most hardest- hit ones with 66,99 and 4,788 cases respectively, according to the IEDCR data.