Global Covid cases near 526 million

A man receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19, at a vaccination center at Paseo de la Sexta, in Guatemala City, on 25 February, 2022AFP

The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 526 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.

According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 525,903,351 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,297,090 Friday morning.

The US has recorded 84,799,040 cases so far and 1,028,337 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.

India’s Covid-19 tally rose to 43,129,563 on Thursday, as 2,364 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s data.

Besides, 10 deaths from the pandemic registered across the country since Wednesday morning took the total death toll to 524,303.

North Korea said Friday that nearly 10 per cent of its 26 million people have fallen ill and 65 people have died amid its first Covid-19 outbreak, as outside experts question the validity of its reported fatalities and worry about a possible humanitarian crisis.

The North’s state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters said 263,370 more people had feverish symptoms and two more people died, bringing the total fever cases to 2.24 million and fatalities to 65. They said 754,810 people remain quarantined, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Situation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh registered 35 Covid cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning, which took the total caseload to 1,953,138.

With no new Covid deaths reported during the period for the 29th consecutive day, the total fatalities from the pandemic remained unchanged at 29,127.

The daily test positivity rate slightly increased to 0.60 per cent from Wednesday’s 0.44 as 5,864 samples were tested, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent. The recovery rate rose to 97.30 per cent as 216 patients recovered during this period.