RANGPUR, July 13, 2021 (BSS) - Fourteen more people died of Covid-19 during the last 24 hours in Rangpur division where the number of positive cases speedily reached 33,934 with diagnosis of 605 afresh on Monday.
 
Health officials said the situation continues deteriorating amid hastily rising positivity and causality rates and sharply declining recovery rate in recent weeks across the division.
 
“The number of casualties reached 685 as 14 more deaths were reported from Rangpur, Nilphamari, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur and Gaibandha in the division,” said Focal Person of the Covid-19 and Assistant Director (Health) for Rangpur division Dr ZA Siddiqui.
    
“A total of 252 Covid-19 patients, the highest number in a month since June 12 last, died in Rangpur division,” he said, adding that the overall situation continues worsening despite the ongoing lockdown in the division.
 
The district-wise break up of the 685 fatalities stands at 136 in Rangpur, 232 in Dinajpur, 127 in Thakurgaon, 46 in Nilphamari, 35 in Kurigram, 33 in Panchagarh, 33 in Gaibandha and 43 in Lalmonirhat districts of the division.
 
“The average casualty rate currently stands at 2.02 percent in the division,” Dr Siddiqui said.
 
 Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases hastily reached 33,934 as 605 new patients were diagnosed after testing 1,900 samples of Rangpur division at the positivity rate of 31.84 percent on Monday.
     
“The district-wise break up of total 33,934 patients now stands at 7,417 Rangpur, 1,683 Panchagarh, 2,513 in Nilphamari, 1,872 in Lalmonirhat, 2,401 in Kurigram, 4,774 in Thakurgaon, 10,494 in Dinajpur and 2,780 in Gaibandha of the division,” he said.
 
Talking to BSS, Acting Divisional Director (Health) Dr Abu Md Zakirul Islam said a total of 1,78,851 collected samples were tested till Monday, and of them, 33,934 were found Covid-19 positive with an average positivity rate of 18.97 percent in the division.
   
Meanwhile, the total number of healed Covid-19 patients reached 24,570 with recovery of 587 more infected patients on Monday in the division where the average recovery rate currently stands at 72.41 percent.
 
“The average recovery rate of Covid-19 infected patients was 90.54 percent a month ago on June 12 last in the division where the same harshly dropped by 18.13 percent during the period to 72.41 percent on Monday,” Dr Islam said.
        
 The 24,570 recovered patients include 5,536 of Rangpur, 924 of Panchagarh, 1,898 of Nilphamari, 1,335 of Lalmonirhat, 1,700 of Kurigram, 3,048 of Thakurgaon, 8,166 of Dinajpur and 1,963 of Gaibandha districts in the division.
   
Among the 33,934 infected patients, 723 are undergoing treatments at isolation units, including 27 critical patients at ICU beds and 11 at High Dependency Unit beds, after recovery of 24,570 patients and 685 deaths while 8,486 are remaining in home isolation.
   
“Meanwhile, the number of citizens who got the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine rose to 6,20,728, and among them, 3,89,354 got the second dose of the jab till Monday in the division,” Dr Islam said.
    
Expressing concern over the rising positivity rate, Chief of Divisional Coronavirus Service and Prevention Task Force and Principal of Rangpur Medical College Professor Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu asked all for strictly abiding by the health directives