RANGPUR, Jan 31, 2022 (BSS) - Two more Covid-19 infected patients died

during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am today in the division where the
pandemic situation is now deteriorating fast.

  Health officials said the number of Covid-19 positive cases is rapidly
rising in the division amid a faster community transmission of the lethal
virus almost during the last three weeks.

  "With the two more deaths reported from Lalmonirhat and Dinajpur, the
number of fatalities reached 1,257 in the division," Divisional Director
(Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam Lenin told BSS today.

  The district-wise breakup of the 1,257 fatalities currently stands at 295
in Rangpur, 81 in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 70 each in Lalmonirhat and
Kurigram, 256 in Thakurgaon, 334 in Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the
division.

  The average casualty rate stands at 2.12 percent here.

  Meanwhile, 478 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest number in a day in six
months, were diagnosed after testing 1,143 samples at the 41.82 percent
positivity rate on Sunday in the division.

  Earlier, the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 53.31 percent on
Saturday, 25.41 percent on Friday, 46.45 percent on Thursday, 45 percent on
Wednesday, 39.72 percent on Tuesday and 35.80 percent on Monday last in the
division.

  "With the diagnosis of 478 fresh Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the total number
of infected patients reached 59,418 in the division," Dr. Islam said.

  The district-wise break up of total 59,418 patients include 13,540 of
Rangpur, 4,054 Panchagarh, 4,864 of Nilphamari, 2,949 of Lalmonirhat, 4,768
of Kurigram, 8,171 of Thakurgaon, 15,938 of Dinajpur and 5,134 of Gaibandha
in the division.

  Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total of 3,19,110 collected samples
were tested till Sunday, and of them, 59,418 were found Covid-19 positive
with an average positivity rate of 18.62 percent in the division.

  At the same time, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 54,862
with the recovery of 72 more patients on the day.

  The average recovery rate currently stands at 92.33 percent.

   "Earlier, the average recovery rate of Covid-19 patients reached 97.12
percent on January 14 last and it sharply dropped by 4.79 percent in only 16
days to 92.33 percent on Sunday," Dr. Islam said.

  Among the total 59,418 patients, 99 are under treatments at isolation
units, including 13 critical patients at ICU beds and eight at High
Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 54,862 patients and 1,257 deaths
while 3,200 are remaining in home isolation.

  "Meanwhile, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the Covid-19
vaccine rose to 1,07,55,408 and among them, 64,68,234 got the second dose and
1,52,792 got the booster dose till Sunday in the division," Dr Islam added.

  Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. Bimal Chandra Roy told
BSS that the pandemic situation is deteriorating fast amid sharply rising
Covid-19 cases everyday in recent weeks here.

  "Everyone should sincerely abide by the health directives and hygiene rules
to prevent further community spread of the lethal virus," he said.