RANGPUR, Jan 24, 2022 (BSS) – The highest ever 43.57 percent Covid-19 positivity rate was recorded in Rangpur division on Sunday since the outbreak of the pandemic.
 
Health officials said 254 new Covid-19 patients, also the highest number in the last five months, were diagnosed after testing 583 samples at 43.57 percent positivity rate on Sunday.
 
The previous highest of 43 percent Covid-19 positivity rate was recorded on July 3 last year in the division.
 
On Sunday, 80 Covid-19 positive cases were diagnosed after testing 175 samples of Rangpur, 19 cases after testing 43 samples of Panchagarh, 17 cases after testing 63 samples of Nilphamari and 11 cases after testing 23 samples of Lalmonirhat districts.
 
Besides, five positive cases were diagnosed after testing 20 samples of Kurigram, 36 cases after testing 76 samples of Thakurgaon, 75 cases after testing 156 samples of Dinajpur and 11 cases after testing 27 samples of Gaibandha districts on Sunday.
 
On Sunday, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 45.70 percent in Rangpur, 44.20 percent in Panchagarh, 27 percent in Nilphamari, 47.380 percent in Lalmonirhat, 25 percent in Kurigram, 47.40 percent in Thakurgaon, 48.010 percent in Dinajpur and 40.70 percent in Gaibandha districts.
 
“With the diagnosis of the 254 new patients on Sunday, the number of Covid-19 cases climbed to 56,891 in the division,” Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam told BSS.
 
The daily Covid-19 positivity rate is currently showing a sharply rising trend again during the last two weeks.
 
Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 36.59 percent on Saturday, 22.60 percent on Friday, 28.92 percent on Thursday, 16.31 percent on Wednesday, 21.29 percent on Tuesday and 17.96 percent on Monday last in the division.
    
The district-wise break up of total 56,891 patients include 12,853 of Rangpur, 3,896 Panchagarh, 4,562 of Nilphamari, 2,809 of Lalmonirhat, 4,684 of Kurigram, 7,827 of Thakurgaon, 15,307 of Dinajpur and 4,953 of Gaibandha in the division.
 
 Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 related casualties remained steady at 1,253 as no more infected patients died on Sunday in the division.
 
The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.20 percent.
 
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, 333 in Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the division.
   
“Since the beginning, a total of 3,13,229 samples were tested till Sunday, and of them, 56,406 were found Covid-19 positive with an average positivity rate of 18.16 percent in the division,” Dr Islam said.
 
Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,592 with the recovery of 87 more patients on Sunday in the division where the average recovery rate currently stands at 95.96 percent.
   
Among the 56,891 patients, 54 are under treatment at isolation units, including 12 critical patients at ICU beds and four at High Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 54,592 patients and 1,253 deaths while 992 are remaining in home isolation.
   
“In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine rose to 1,03,40,706, and among them, 61,98,848 got the second dose and 1,25,259 got the booster dose of the jabs till Sunday in the division,” Dr Islam added.