Bangladesh reports 22 new virus deaths, caseload approaches 50,000

Bangladesh has registered 22 fatalities from the coronavirus infection in a daily count, raising the death toll to 672.

The COVID-19 caseload spiralled to 49,534 after 2,381 positive tests were confirmed in the 24 hours to 8 am Monday, according to the health directorate.

The recovery tally has also climbed to 10,597 after another 816 patients were released from hospitals in the same period, DGHS Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said in a media briefing.

A total of 11,439 samples were tested at 52 authorised labs across the country during that time. The rate of positive tests from the samples tested in the last 24 hours is 20.81 percent, while the recovery rate currently stands at 21.39 percent, said Nasima. The mortality rate from the disease is 1.36 percent, according to government data.

Globally, over 6.17 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 372,136 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.