Global Covid cases top 547 million

People lie in hospital beds outside the Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong on 18 February, 2022, as the city faces its worst Covid-19 coronavirus wave to dateAFP

The overall number of Covid cases has now crossed 547 million amid a rise in new infections in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, UNB reports.

According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 547,386,723 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,347,567 Friday morning.

The US has recorded 88,566,961 cases so far and 1,040,236 people have died from the virus in the country, the data shows.

India reported 13,313 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total tally to 43,365,016, according to the federal health ministry data released on Thursday.

Besides, 38 more deaths were reported during this period, taking the total toll to 524,941.

Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus cases rose in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe last week, while the number of deaths globally dropped by 16 per cent, according to the World Health Organization’s latest weekly pandemic report issued Wednesday, reports AP.

The WHO said there were 3.3 million new Covid-19 infections last week, marking a 4 per cent decrease, with more than 7,500 deaths. But cases jumped by about 45 per cent in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and by about 6 per cent in Europe.

Southeast Asia was the only region to report a slight 4 per cent increase in deaths, while figures fell elsewhere. Globally, the number of new Covid-19 cases has been falling after peaking in January.

Covid in Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded another death from Covid-19 and 1,319 new cases in 24 hours till Thursday morning.

On Wednesday the country recorded one death from Covid-19 and 1,135 cases.

The country recorded over 1,000 Covid cases (1,409 cases) with 11 deaths last on 25 February.

The daily case positivity rate jumped to 14.32 per cent from Wednesday’s 13.30 per cent as 9,214 samples were tested during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The country’s total caseload rose to 1,960,528 while the total fatalities reached 29,135 with the new numbers, it said.

The mortality rate remained static at 1.49 per cent. The recovery rates declined to 97.29 per cent from Monday’s 97.34 per cent as 122 patients recovered during this period.