RANGPUR, Jan 17, 2022 (BSS) - The highest number of 49 fresh Covid-19
cases were diagnosed in Rangpur division in the last four months on Sunday as
the pandemic situation is deteriorating in recent days.

     Health officials said the 49 new Covid-19 patients were diagnosed after
testing 248 samples at 19.76 percent positivity rate on Sunday.

     The daily positivity rate is showing a sharply rising trend in recent
days creating a possibility of community spread of the lethal virus again in
the division.

     Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 11.31 percent on
Saturday, 8.11 percent on Friday, 13.66 percent on Thursday, 10.84 percent on
Wednesday and 4.11 percent on Tuesday last in the division.

     "With the diagnosis of the 48 new patients on Sunday, the total number
of Covid-19 cases has reached 55,983 in the division," Divisional Director
(Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam told BSS today.

     The district-wise break up of total 55,983 patients include 12,649 of
Rangpur, 3,838 Panchagarh, 4,471 of Nilphamari, 2,779 of Lalmonirhat, 4,655
of Kurigram, 7,716 of Thakurgaon, 14,981 of Dinajpur and 4,894 of Gaibandha
in the division.

     Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 related casualties remained
steady at 1,252 as no more infected patients died during the last 24 hours
ending at 8 am today in the division.

     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 3,10,030 collected
samples were tested till Sunday, and of them, 55,983 were found Covid-19
positive with an average positivity rate of 18.06 percent in the division,"
Dr Islam said.

     Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,304 with
the recovery of only one more patient on Sunday in the division where the
average recovery rate currently stands at 97 percent.

     The 54,304 recovered patients include 12,278 of Rangpur, 3,723
Panchagarh, 4,371 Nilphamari, 2,625 Lalmonirhat, 4,527 Kurigram, 7,430
Thakurgaon, 14,543 in Dinajpur and 4,807 Gaibandha districts in the division.

     Among the 55,983 patients, 25 are under treatment at isolation units,
including five critical patients at ICU beds and four at High Dependency Unit
beds, after recovery of 54,304 patients and 1,252 deaths while 402 are
remaining in home isolation.

     "In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine rose to 95,00,034, and among them, 59,73,735 got the second
dose and 78,599 got the booster dose of the jabs till Sunday in the
division," Dr Islam added.

     Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and
Principal of Rangpur Medical College Prof. Dr. Bimal Chandra Roy urged people
to sincerely abide by the health directives to prevent further community
spread of the deadly virus.