Bangladesh's virus caseload tops 100,000; another 38 die

The tally of coronavirus infections in Bangladesh has crossed the grim milestone of 100,000 in just over three months after the first COVID-19 cases were detected in the country.

The caseload currently stands at 102,292 after 3,803 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8 am Thursday, according to the health directorate.

The death toll from the disease rose to 1,343 with 38 new fatalities being registered in the same period, DGHS Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said in a media briefing on Thursday.

Another 1,975 patients recovered from COVID-19 at home and in hospitals in the last 24 hours, added Nasima, citing the IEDCR's estimates. It brings the tally of recoveries to 40,164.

Noting the spiralling infection rate, Director General of Health Services Abul Kalam Azad, who himself recovered from COVID-19, urged members of the public to strictly comply with the government's health directives to limit the risk of infection.

Speaking at the media briefing on Thursday, Azad projected a bleak outlook of the coronavirus situation in the country as he warned the epidemic could persist for another two to three years, albeit at a lower intensity.

Globally, more than 8.36 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus and 447,985 have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 0400 GMT on Wednesday.

 

The latest official figures see Bangladesh's coronavirus caseload overtake Canada's, making the South Asian nation the 17th worst-affected country in the world, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

It came less than a week after it leapfrogged China, the country in which the disease originated, and is now behind Saudi Arabia which has racked up 141,234 cases. 

Meanwhile, neighbouring India has reported 366,946 coronavirus cases so far, making it the fourth worst-hit country in the world. Pakistan ranks 14th in the world in terms of confirmed coronavirus cases with a tally of 160,118.

 

The rate of infection in Bangladesh has been on an upward trajectory since the disease was first detected on Mar 8.

The caseload hit 100 on Apr 6 before crossing the 1,000-mark a week later on Apr 14. By May 25, the number of cases had crossed 20,000 and reached 50,000 on Jun 2. The tally subsequently doubled over the next 16 days to surge past 100,000.

The rapid uptick in infections puts Bangladesh among the countries with the fastest growth in cases when compared on a weekly basis.

Alarmingly, the cases detected in the 19 days after the nationwide lockdown ended on May 30 account for more than half of the country's caseload.