Virus cases in Bangladesh pass 200,000

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Over 2,700 more infections have taken the number of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh past the 200,000 mark, officials announced on Saturday.

At least 2,709 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, raising the overall count to 202,066, according to Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana.

The death toll increased by 34 to reach 2,581, while 1,373 more recoveries took the total to 110,098, she said at a daily briefing.

Infections have spiked in Bangladesh over the past month, with half of the country’s total cases recorded between June 18 and July 18.

The country of over 165 million has conducted more than 1.01 million tests so far, but the daily figure has been decreasing despite concerns raised by health experts.

According to the Health Ministry, 10,923 samples were tested on Friday, as opposed to 13,460 a day earlier.

The country’s infection rate stands at 19.86%, while the recovery rate is around 54.5%, the official said.