38 fatalities, 2,200 more COVID-19 cases reported over past day, says Health Ministry
Bangladesh reported 38 more COVID-19 fatalities on Wednesday, raising the death toll in the country to 6,713.
Some 2,200 more virus cases took the overall count to 469,423, while recoveries increased by 2,562 to reach 385,786, the Health Ministry said.
The recovery rate now stands at 82.18%, while the mortality rate is 1.43%.
Over 15,900 more samples were tested over the past day, a figure that is still less than the 25,000 to 30,000 mark recommended by experts.
Around 2.8 million tests have been carried out to date in the country of some 165 million people.
A recent report by Transparency International said Bangladesh was conducting the same number of tests despite increasing the number of labs dedicated for COVID-19 screening.
The government, in response, said the figure was not rising because people were reluctant to get themselves tested.
As fears of a new winter wave of infections loom in Bangladesh, authorities have imposed a “no mask, no service” rule across all sectors and are pushing for stricter implementation of safety guidelines.
All places of worship have been told to ensure that people wear masks and maintain physical distance.
All educational institutes will remain closed at least until Dec. 19 and all public examinations have been cancelled.
Bangladesh was in lockdown from March to May, with restrictions lifted in June to resume economic activity.
