Saudi Arabia has announced to hold the Hajj this year with a “very limited number of pilgrims of various nationalities who already reside in the kingdom” as the country moves to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

When Hafizur Rahman was admitted to the General Hospital in Pabna with coronavirus-like symptoms on Friday afternoon in rapidly deteriorating condition, access to an oxygen cylinder was his only hope as there was no ICU support in the district.

A Chinese medical expert team pointed out that the general public and to some extent the health officials here lack awareness about social distancing and hygiene practices necessary to combat the spread of coronavirus.

The lack of global leadership and unity to fight the coronavirus is a bigger threat than the outbreak itself, the head of the World Health Organisation said yesterday, adding that politicisation of the pandemic had made things worse.

Two public hospitals in the capital, including one dedicated to dealing with Covid-19, started getting central oxygen supply yesterday, giving much relief to coronavirus patients, who usually require more oxygen.

While Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University Vice-Chancellor Prof Kanak Kanti Barua verbally spurned the Rapid Dot-Blot test developed by Gonoshasthaya Kendra last Wednesday, calling it “ineffective in detecting Covid-19”, the full report justifies and recommends its use as an antibody test.

As the number of Covid-19 deaths crossed the 1,500 mark yesterday, experts said transmission may not decrease anytime soon unless it is actively controlled.

The cyclone Amphan destroyed a number of households and vast tract of cropland. It also crushed the last strands of hope for many vegetable farmers in Kalapara upazila of the district amid ithe Covid-19 pandemic.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday said the government would take steps to appoint 2,000 more physicians to contain the situation if the number of Covid-19 patients continued to soar.

Over three weeks ago, the government had planned to enforce containment zones in the capital and three other major cities amid a spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths that came after the nationwide shutdown was lifted.

A constable of Narayanganj’s port police outpost died today after contracting Covid-19, bringing the death toll of police deaths from coronavirus to 31.

Local administration decides to lock down three areas in Khulna City Corporation and Rupsha upazila from June 25 till June 16 following an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

A number of Narayanganj city dwellers form a human chain in the Khanpur area demanding immediate installation of ICUs and PCR lab at Narayanganj 300-bed Hospital for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

A joint director of Bangladesh Bank has died of coronavirus at a hospital in Dhaka.

Thirty-eight people died from coronavirus infections, 3,480 were infected and 1,678 recovered in the last 24 hours, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) says.

Sheikh Russel Gastro Liver Institute and Hospital in Dhaka is designated for priority treatment of coronavirus-positive health workers.

A retired ENT Professor of Chattogram Medical College Hospital has died of coronavirus.

The World Health Organization reports the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours.

The government has announced closure in some areas that were marked as red zones by health authorities in 10 districts.

Renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has tested positive for Covid-19.