Staff Correspondent: Dhaka, Aug-13,

Bangladesh added 197 fatalities to its national tally on Friday as horrific Covid hospitalizations and deaths continue to soar.

The country is averaging 200-plus single-day fatalities for the last three weeks. After weathering the first wave of the virus, Bangladesh is now yet to see any tangible signs that it is turning the corner.

However, the country is now reporting 10,602 new cases on average each day – 73% of the peak.

Bangladesh recorded 8,465 new cases Friday after testing 40,641 samples, down from 12,606 logged a week earlier on August 6.

The country reported the highest daily Covid-19 fatality number – 264 – on August 5 and 10, and 16,230 infections on July 28.

Bangladesh has been experiencing a surge of Covid-related caseloads and deaths since June 2021.

Between May and June this year, there was a 273% rise in monthly caseloads and 162% in fatalities. In July there was a 150% increase in caseloads and a 170% rise in deaths compared to the previous month, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

There have been 14,05,333 infections and 23,810 coronavirus-related deaths here since the pandemic began, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

In the past 24 hours, the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive stood at 20.83%, down from August 6's 26.25%, while the WHO recommends a 5% or below rate.

However, the recovery rate rose to 90.62%, and the case fatality increased to 1.69% compared to the same period.

As more people are falling sick with Covid-19 and dying and many mourning a family member lost to the virus, Dhaka division reported the highest 78 deaths, Chattogram 53, Khulna 18, Mymensingh 12, Barishal 11, Rangpur nine, and eight each in Rajshahi and Sylhet.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of the vaccination program, the government has administered at least 20,535,980 doses of Covid vaccines – enough to have vaccinated around 6.1% of the country's population, assuming every person needs two doses.

Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death; and with the Delta variant; this is more urgent than ever, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

End/Dct/Rak/Sma/