Bangladesh on Saturday extended the nationwide transport shutdown till April 11 as the country recorded its biggest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases with nine new positive tests, taking the country’s total to 70.
The country reported two more deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of fatalities to eight, according to data released by the health directorate on Saturday.
One of deceased was 90-year-old and the other was 68 and both had histories of heart disease and stroke respectively, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Meerjady Sabrina Flora told a virtual media briefing here.
The tally of infections increase to 70 after nine more people, including two children aged under 10, tested positive in the last 24 hours.
This is the biggest jump in positive tests over a 24-hour period since Bangladesh announced its first cases on March 8. The total number of recovered patients is 30.
The authorities collected 553 samples from across the country in the last 24 hours and tested 434, Abul Kalam Azad, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, said in an online briefing.