Highest daily spike with 16,230 new COVID-19 cases

The number of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh hit a record daily high since the outbreak of the pandemic with 16,230 new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, pushing the nationwide coronavirus tally to 12,10,982 so far.

"The death toll rose to 20,016 with 237 new fatalities, the third highest number of deaths in a single day," Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its routine daily statement .

It said 30.12 percent of the 53,877 samples collected in 24 hours were tested positive while the infection rate was only 2.30 percent just on February 8 this year as during the late winter season, the rate started decreasing sharply.

The recovery count rose to 10,35,884 after another 13,470 patients were discharged from the hospitals during the past one day.

The DGHS statistics showed of the people infected from the beginning, 85.54 percent recovered, while 1.65 percent died.