Bangladesh is set to overtake China in terms of Covid-19 infections, as the country registered the highest single-day spike in both confirmed cases and fatalities in the past 24 hours ending on Friday morning, officials and physicians said.
During the 24-hour period, the densely populated nation of around 170 million recorded 3,471 new cases and 46 deaths, official data showed.
With the latest figures, the total numbers of infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus stood at 81,523 and 1,095 respectively, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
According to the worldometer, Bangladesh is now placed just after China where a total of 82,064 people were infected with the deadly virus.
Disclosing the latest update of the pandemic through the regular virtual news bulletin, DGHS additional director general (administration) Prof Dr Nasima Sultana said a total of 15,990 samples were tested in 59 labs across the country in the last 24 hours.
Of the tests, some 3,471 samples were found Covid-19 positive, with 46 more deaths recorded across the country during the period, she said.
"With these numbers, the overall tally of confirmed cases and deaths rose to 81,523 and 1,095 respectively," she said.
Of the deaths, 19 persons were from Dhaka, eleven from Chattogram, five from Rangpur, three each from Sylhet and Barishal, two each from Rajshahi and Mymensingh and one from Khulna divisions.
Of them, one person was between 21 and 30 years old, six between 31 and 40 years, three between 41 and 50 years, 12 between 51 and 60 years, 15 between 61 and 70 years, seven between 71 and 80 years, one between 81 and 90 years and another was more than 100 years old, Dr Sultana said.
At the same time, some 502 people recovered from the respiratory disease, taking the overall number of recovery to 17,249, she added.
The DGHS sources said 59,853 people now remain in both home and institutional quarantine while 9,012 others in isolation as of June 12.
The new spike in infections and deaths came on the 13th day of easing lockdown by the government through reopening offices on May 31 and allowing movement of public transport.
Globally, more than 7.6 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 424,472 people died as of Sunday evening, according to the worldometer.