RANGPUR, Dec 30, 2021 (BSS) - Eight fresh Covid-19 cases were diagnosed
after testing 329 samples at the positivity rate of 2.39 percent on Wednesday
in Rangpur division.

     Health officials said the daily Covid-19 positivity rates were 1.32
percent on Tuesday, 3.01 percent on Monday, 6.34 on Sunday, 6.06 percent on
Saturday and 3.00 percent on Friday last in the division.

     "Currently, the total number of Covid-19 cases has reached 55,740 in the
division where the pandemic situation continues improving almost during the
last four months," Divisional Director (Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam told
BSS today.

     The district-wise break up of total 55,740 patients include 12,555 of
Rangpur, 3,832 Panchagarh, 4,463 of Nilphamari, 2,763 of Lalmonirhat, 4,648
of Kurigram, 7,701 of Thakurgaon, 14,902 of Dinajpur and 4,876 of Gaibandha
in the division.

     Meanwhile, no Covid-19 patient died during the last 24 hours ending at 8
am today in the division where the total number of casualties remained steady
at 1,250.

     The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.24 percent in the
division.

     The district-wise break up of the 1,250 fatalities stands at 293 in
Rangpur, 81 in Panchagarh, 89 in Nilphamari, 69 each in Lalmonirhat and
Kurigram, 256 in Thakurgaon, 330 in Dinajpur and 63 in Gaibandha of the
division.

     "Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 3,06,849 collected
samples were tested till Wednesday, and of them, 55,740 were found Covid-19
positive with an average positivity rate of 18.17 percent in the division,"
Dr Islam said.

     Meanwhile, the number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 53,951 with
the recovery of 17 more patients on Wednesday in the division where the
average recovery rate currently stands at 96.79 percent.

     The 53,951 recovered patients include 11,985 of Rangpur, 3,721
Panchagarh, 4,370 Nilphamari, 2,625 Lalmonirhat, 4,527 Kurigram, 7,413
Thakurgaon, 14,511 in Dinajpur and 4,799 Gaibandha districts in the division.

     Among the 55,740 patients, 34 are under treatment at isolation units,
including eight critical patients at ICU beds and five at High Dependency
Unit beds, after recovery of 53,951 patients and 1,250 deaths while 505 are
remaining in home isolation.

     "In the meantime, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the
Covid-19 vaccine rose to 79,83,723, and among them, 54,05,234 got the second
dose and 1,755 got the booster dose of the jabs till Wednesday in the
division," Dr Islam added.

     Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and
Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr. AKM Nurunnobi said the
Covid-19 situation is improving consistently almost during the last four
months.

     "Common people should sincerely abide by the health directives and
hygiene rules to prevent another probable wave of the newly detected Omicron
strain of the Covid-19 virus," he said.