The number of detected novel coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, according to the government, on Saturday rose to 742,400 as 2,697 more cases were reported, after testing 20,571 samples, including rapid antigen tests, in the last 24 hours.

During that time 83 Covid-19 patients died, raising the total deaths in the country to 10,952, said a press release of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) today.

The rate of detection in the last 24 hours until 8:00am was 13.11 per cent, while the overall rate of detection of infected cases in Bangladesh as of Saturday stands at 13.95 per cent.

The health directorate today said a total of 5,477 people were recovered from the highly infectious disease in the last 24 hours, taking the number of total recovery to 653,151.

The overall rate of people recovered as of today stands at 87.98 per cent while the rate of death is 1.48 per cent, it added.

Of the people died in the last 24 hours, 58 were male and 25 female. Of the total deaths so far, 8,068 were male (73.67 per cent) and 2,884 female (26.33 per cent).

Among the 83 patients died in the last 24 hours, 81 breathed their last at different hospitals while two at their homes.

Among the Covid-19 patients died in that time, 52 were in Dhaka division, 13 in Chattogram, three in Rajshahi, five in Khulna, four in Barishal, and three each in Sylhet and Rangpur division. Among the patients died in Bangladesh so far, 6,397 were in Dhaka, 1,977 in Chattogram, 577 in Rajshahi, 668 in Khulna, 321 in Barisal, 365 in Sylhet, 413 in Rangpur, and 234 in Mymensingh division, the DGHS said.

A total of 20,228 samples were collected in the last 24 hours. As of Saturday, the number of samples tested in Bangladesh stands at 53,23,579.

Bangladesh detected first coronavirus patient on 8 March last year and recorded its first death on 18 March that year.