RANGPUR, Jan 13, 2022 (BSS) - The number of new Covid-19 patients is

rising again in Rangpur division where 18 fresh Covid-19 cases were diagnosed
on Wednesday.

   Health officials said the 18 new patients were reported after testing 166
samples at 10.84 percent positivity rate in the division where the daily
positivity rate is also rising again.

   Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 5.31 percent on Tuesday,
5.42 percent on Monday, 13.50 percent on Sunday, 13.58 percent on Saturday,
3.66 percent on Friday and 5.26 percent on Thursday last in the division.

   "Currently, the total number of Covid-19 cases stands at 55,875 in the
division," Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam told BSS
today.

   The district-wise break up of total 55,875 patients include 12,612 of
Rangpur, 3,838 Panchagarh, 4,469 of Nilphamari, 2,771 of Lalmonirhat, 4,653
of Kurigram, 7,708 of Thakurgaon, 14,939 of Dinajpur and 4,885 of Gaibandha
in the division.

   Meanwhile, no Covid-19 related casualty was reported during the last 96
hours ending at 8 am today in the division where the total number of
casualties remains steady at 1,252.

   The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.24 percent in the
division.

   The district-wise break up of the 1,252 fatalities stands at 293 in
Rangpur, 81 in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 69 each in Lalmonirhat and
Kurigram, 256 in Thakurgaon, 332 in Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the
division.

   "Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 3,09,282 collected
samples were tested till Wednesday, and of them, 55,875 were found Covid-19
positive with an average positivity rate of 18.07 percent in the division,"
Dr Islam said.

   Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,255 with the
recovery of 23 more patients on Wednesday in the division where the average
recovery rate currently stands at 97.10 percent.  

  The 54,255 recovered patients include 12,237 of Rangpur, 3,722 Panchagarh,
4,370 Nilphamari, 2,625 Lalmonirhat, 4,527 Kurigram, 7,428 Thakurgaon, 14,540
in Dinajpur and 4,806 Gaibandha districts in the division.

  Among the 55,875 patients, 26 are under treatment at isolation units,
including six critical patients at ICU beds and three at High Dependency Unit
beds, after recovery of 54,255 patients and 1,252 deaths while 342 are
remaining in home isolation.

  "In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine rose to 88,48,809, and among them, 58,65,005 got the second
dose and 56,503 got the booster dose of the jabs till Wednesday in the
division," Dr Islam added.

   Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and
Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. Bimal Kumar Roy said the
pandemic situation is again showing a deteriorating trend after four months
in Rangpur division.

   "The number of new Covid-19 cases is increasing at a rising positivity
rate in recent days in the division," he said, and urged everyone to
sincerely abide by the health directives to prevent community spread of the
lethal virus.