Dhaka: In all but one of the last 16 days, the daily new COVID-19 cases have not dipped below 3,000 and another 3,462 tested positive in the 24 hours preceding 2:30 pm yesterday.

Over the same duration, 37 people -- 28 male and nine female -- have died of the highly contagious virus. The death toll now stands at 1,582 and the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases at 1,22,660.

June 9 saw the highest number of new cases until then -- 3,271, also the first time the number crossed the 3,000 mark. On June 16, authorities reported 53 deaths -- the highest single-day fatalities in the country. The very next day, the highest number of new cases till date, 4,008, were recorded.

June 13 was the only exception when the total number of new cases dipped below the 3,000 mark as 2,856 new cases were reported.

Prof Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), yesterday said, "We urge people to maintain hygiene and social distancing to stay safe."

A total of 16,433 samples were tested in 65 labs across the country before yesterday's daily briefing, she said.

The percentage of tests that returned positive was 21.07, marginally higher than the 20.94 percent the day before.

In terms of the total confirmed cases, the death rate was 1.30 percent, showing almost no change for the two months, according to DGHS data.

Bangladesh also continued to be the 17th worst affected country in terms of the number of cases. It remains one step ahead of South Africa and just below France, according to worldometer.info.

Meanwhile, 2,031 COVID-19 patients have recovered in the 24 hours.

The total number of recoveries has reached 49,666. The recovery rate was 40.49 percent, the DGHS official added.

In total, 749 people were put under isolation in 24 hours till 2:30 pm yesterday.

Among those who died in that duration, 10 were from Dhaka, nine from Chattogram, six from Rajshahi, seven from Khulna, three from Mymensingh, one from Barishal and another was from Rangpur Division.

One of them was aged between 11 and 20 years old, two between 21 and 30, two between 31 and 40, three between 41 and 50, 12 between 51 and 60, nine between 61 and 70 and the rest were 71 and 80 years old, Dr Nasima also said.

According to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) website, males constituted 77 percent of the deaths and 71 percent of infections in the country.

More than half of the total infected were aged between 21 to 40 years, reported IECCR, adding that the death rate was 65 percent higher among patients older than 50 years of age.

https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/3000-plus-daily-cases-the-new-normal-1920037