Bangladesh logs 2,996 daily virus cases, death toll nears 3,500

Bangladesh has recorded 2,996 new cases of COVID-19 in a daily count, taking the tally of infections to 263,503.

The death toll from the disease climbed to 3,471 after 33 more fatalities were registered until 8 am Tuesday, according to the health directorate.

Another 1,535 patients recovered through treatment at home and in hospital care in the same period, bringing the total to 151,972, DGHS Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said in a media briefing.

The official figures put the recovery rate at 57.67 in the country, while the mortality rate stands at 1.32 percent following the deaths of 28 men and five women in the last 24 hours.

A total of 14,820 samples were tested at 86 authorised labs across Bangladesh during that time, returning a positivity rate of 20.22 percent, according to government data.

Globally, over 20.09 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 736,254 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.