Global Covid Cases Near 358m

The overall number of Covid cases is fast approaching 358 million, with a spike in cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across the world. 

According to Johns Hopkins University, the total case count mounted to 357,954,943 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,614,015 Wednesday morning.

The US has recorded 72,171,187 cases so far and 871,934 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.

India's Covid-19 tally rose to 39,799,202 on Tuesday, as 255,874 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.

Besides, 614 deaths since Monday morning pushed the total death toll to 490,462.

Meanwhile, the country's Omicron tally reached 10,050 Monday. Most of the Omicron cases have been reported from the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since last January, registered 24,342,322 cases as of Wednesday, while its Covid death toll rose to 624,129.

Bangladesh logged 18 more Covid-linked deaths with 16,033 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

The daily positivity rate rose to 32.40 per cent from Monday’s 32.37 per cent after testing 49,697 samples, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

The country logged its daily positivity rate of 32.55 per cent on July 24 last year, reporting 6,780 cases and 195 deaths.

Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.

The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,256 while the caseload mounted to 1,715,997 Tuesday.

Among the new deceased, 12 were men and six women.

Eight cases were reported in Dhaka division while six in Chattogram, and one each in Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Barishal divisions.

Meanwhile, the mortality rate further declined to 1.65 per cent.

However, the recovery rate also declined to 90.85 per cent with the recovery of 1,095 more patients during the 24-hour period.

Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 69 with the detection of five more cases till Sunday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.

On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.

The country reported last year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 infections, since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.