Bangladesh coronavirus death toll climbs to 131, cases 4,689

The death toll from the novel coronavirus in Bangladesh rose to 131 after the country confirmed four more deaths on Friday.  

The country also recorded 503 cases of the deadly virus, taking the total to 4,689, said Prof Nasima Sultana, ADG of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). 

In the past 24 hours, samples of 3,686 people were examined at 21 institutions including the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). Out of them, 503 tested positive for COVID-19, and among the infected, four more died from the virus, she said in DGHS' regular bulletin on coronavirus.

So far, a total 39,776 samples were examined, she said adding that four more people have been cured from the disease, raising the number of cured patients to 112. 

Meerjady Sabrina Flora, Director of the IEDCR, was also present in the online briefing.

Bangladesh first reported its coronavirus cases on March 8. Since then the country has been witnessing increase in the infections and deaths. 

COVID-19 first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, and then spread to 210 countries and territories.

As of Friday the epidemic infected 2,732,737 people and killed 191,152 across the globe, according to Worldometer, a website which compiles number of new coronavirus cases and deaths from it.

However, total recovery from the coronavirus pandemic reached 751,025 across the world.