Bangladesh reports 21 new virus deaths, lowest daily count in more than a month

Bangladesh has registered 21 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus, the fewest in a daily count since Aug 1, taking the death toll to 4,823.

The tally of infections surged to 342,671 after 1,615 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8 am Wednesday, the government said.

The number of daily recoveries outpaced new infections in the same period as another 2,375 patients overcame the disease through treatment at home and in hospital care. It brings the total to 247,969.

A total of 13,360 samples were tested at 94 authorised labs across the country in the last 24 hours, with a positivity rate of 12.09 percent, according to data released by the health directorate.

The official figures put the recovery rate at 72.36 percent while the mortality rate stands at 1.41 percent after the latest deaths of 16 men and five women.

Globally, over 29.59 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 935,446 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.