The number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases has reached 18,891 in the division where the infection rate continues rising again and mostly remained above the 10 mark in recent weeks.
Health officials said the number of Covid-19 cases rose to 18,891 as 47 more patients were reported positive after testing 282 samples at the infection rate of 16.67 percent on Saturday here.
�The daily infection rate crossed the 10 percent mark on March 24 last for the first time since December 26 last during the second wave of Covid-19 in the division,� Focal Person of Covid-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr ZA Siddiqui said.
However, the daily infection rate dropped to 9.05 percent for a day below the 10 percent mark on May 26 last.
�The district-wise break-up of 18,891 patients currently stands at 4,973 in Rangpur, 838 in Panchagarh, 1,579 in Nilphamari, 1,077 in Lalmonirhat, 1,217 in Kurigram, 1,672 in Thakurgaon, 5,773 in Dinajpur and 1,762 in Gaibandha,� he said.
Since the beginning, a total of 1,32,662 collected samples were tested till Saturday, and of them, 18,891 were found Covid-19 positive with an average infection rate of 14.24 percent.
Meanwhile, the total number of healed patients reached 17,799 with recovery of 28 more infected patients on Saturday in the division where the average recovery rate currently stands at 94.22 percent.
Among the recovered patients, 4,612 of Rangpur, 812 of Panchagarh, 1,521 of Nilphamari, 1,041 of Lalmonirhat, 1,099 of Kurigram, 1,570 of Thakurgaon, 5,443 of Dinajpur and 1,701 of Gaibandha districts in the division.
Talking to BSS today, Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md. Ahad Ali said the number of Covid-19 related deaths rose to 392 in the division as two more deaths were reported from Rangpur and Dinajpur districts on Saturday.
The district-wise break-up of the total fatalities now stands at 96 in Rangpur, 143 in Dinajpur, 40 in Thakurgaon, 36 in Nilphamari, 21 in Kurigram, 20 in Panchagarh, 22 in Gaibandha and 14 in Lalmonirhat.
The average casualty rate presently stands at 2.08 percent, which is the highest average fatality rate since the beginning of the pandemic in the division.
Among the 18,891 patients, 66 are undergoing treatments at isolation units, including 20 at general beds and three at ICU beds and five at High Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 17,799 patients and 392 deaths while 659 remaining in home isolation.
�Meanwhile, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine remained steady at 5,96,952 since April 26 last, and of them, 3,83,260 got the second dose of the jab till Saturday in the division,� Dr Ali added.
Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu stressed on abiding by the health directives by everyone to contain further rise in the Covid-19 infection rate.