RANGPUR, Jan 16, 2022 (BSS) - Twenty-five more persons were diagnosed

positive for Covid-19 on Saturday in the division, showing a decreasing trend
in infection here as the country sees rising cases in the last few days.

  Health officials said the 25 new Covid-19 patients were found after testing
221 samples at 11.31 percent positivity rate on the day in the division.

  Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 8.11 percent on Friday,
13.66 percent on Thursday, 10.84 percent on Wednesday, 4.11 percent on
Tuesday and 13.50 percent on Sunday last in the division.

  "With the diagnosis of the 25 new patients, the total number of Covid-19
cases has reached 55,934 here," Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Abu Md.
Zakirul Islam told BSS today.

  The total patients include 12,627 of Rangpur, 3,838 Panchagarh, 4,469 of
Nilphamari, 2,777 of Lalmonirhat, 4,653 of Kurigram, 7,713 of Thakurgaon,
14,967 of Dinajpur and 4,890 of Gaibandha in the division.

  Meanwhile, no Covid-19 patient died during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am
today, keeping the total number of fatalities 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.

  "Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 3,09,782 collected samples
were tested till Saturday, and of them, 55,934 were found Covid-19 positive
with an average infection rate of 18.06 percent in the division," Dr Islam
said.

  Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,303 with the
recovery of five more patients on Saturday in the division where the average
recovery rate stands at 97.08 percent.

  The 54,303 recovered patients include 12,278 of Rangpur, 3,723 of
Panchagarh, 4,371 of Nilphamari, 2,625 of Lalmonirhat, 4,527 of Kurigram,
7,430 of Thakurgaon, 14,543 in Dinajpur and 4,806 of Gaibandha.

  Among the total 55,934 patients, 27 are under treatment at isolation units,
including five critical patients at ICU beds and four at High Dependency Unit
beds, after recovery of 54,303 patients and 1,252 deaths while 355 are
remaining in home isolation.

  "In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine rose to 93,56,773, and among them, 59,46,176 got the second
dose and 64,864 got the booster dose of the jabs till Saturday in the
division," Dr Islam added.

  Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and
Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. Bimal Chandra Roy said the
pandemic situation is currently showing a deteriorating trend again in
Rangpur division though the infection was recently increasing.

   He urged everyone to sincerely abide by the health directives to prevent
community spread of the lethal virus.