RANGPUR, Jan 21, 2022 (BSS) - Rangpur division recorded the highest number

of 164 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday almost in the last five months since
September 1 last amid a deteriorating pandemic situation in recent days.

   Health officials said the 164 new Covid-19 patients were diagnosed after
testing 567 samples at 28.92 percent positivity rate on Thursday.

   The daily Covid-19 positivity rate is currently showing a sharply rising
trend again in the division.

   Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 16.31 percent on
Wednesday, 21.29 percent on Tuesday, 17.96 percent on Monday, 19.76 percent
on Sunday, 11.31 percent on Saturday and 8.11 percent on Friday last in the
division.

   "With the diagnosis of the 164 new patients, the total number of Covid-19
cases has reached 56,406 in the division," Divisional Director (Health) Dr
Abu Md Zakirul Islam told BSS this afternoon.   

   The district-wise break up of total 56,406 patients include 12,740 of
Rangpur, 3,858 Panchagarh, 4,521 of Nilphamari, 2,791 of Lalmonirhat, 4,665
of Kurigram, 7,754 of Thakurgaon, 15,156 of Dinajpur and 4,921 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 2.22 percent in the
division.

   The district-wise breakup 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 3,11,903 collected
samples were tested till Thursday, and of them, 56,406 were found Covid-19
positive with an average positivity rate of 18.08 percent in the division,"
Dr Islam said.

   Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,464 with the
recovery of 33 more patients on Monday in the division where the average
recovery rate currently stands at 96.56 percent.

   The 54,464 recovered patients include 12,301 of Rangpur, 3,735 Panchagarh,
4,374 Nilphamari, 2,640 Lalmonirhat, 4,537 Kurigram, 7,468 Thakurgaon, 14,602
in Dinajpur and 4,807 Gaibandha districts in the division.

   Among the 56,406 patients, 40 are under treatment at isolation units,
including eight critical patients at ICU beds and three at High Dependency
Unit beds, after recovery of 54,464 patients and 1,252 deaths while 650 are
remaining in home isolation.

   "In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine rose to 1,01,43,796, and among them, 61,25,103 got the
second dose and 1,09,194 got the booster dose of the jabs till Thursday 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
everyone should sincerely abide by the health directives to contain community
spread of the deadly virus.