An anti-vax Czech folk singer has died after she deliberately contracted Covid to obtain a health pass that would have allowed her to visit the sauna and theatre, her family said.

The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) today recommended distributing free facemasks among the general people to ensure safety for everyone.

At least 9,500 new infections were recorded and 12 people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8:00 am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

A special vaccination drive for transport workers in Dhaka began today at Mohakhali Bus Terminal.

The ongoing spike in Covid-19 cases in the country has put 12 districts, including Dhaka, at high risk, according to the Covid-19 Dynamic Dashboard of Department of Health.

As much as 20 percent of the Covid-19 patients examined by BSMMU researchers in the month to January 8 were infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, indicating that the highly transmissible variant is fast putting down its roots in Bangladesh.

The government is going to launch a special Covid-19 vaccination drive in the capital today for road transport workers, many of whom are still unvaccinated.

UN chief Antonio Guterres told the all-virtual Davos forum that the world must vaccinate everybody against Covid-19 to ensure a way out of the pandemic.

At least 8,407 new infections were recorded and 10 people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8:00 am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Australia on Tuesday suffered its deadliest day of the pandemic as a fast-moving Omicron outbreak continued to push up hospitalisation rates to record levels, even as daily infections eased slightly.

Twenty percent of those who tested Covid-19 positive in last one month were infected with the Omicron variant, finds a study conducted by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique today said the court functions might be conducted through virtual system again due to the ongoing surge of Covid-19 infection.

UN chief Antonio Guterres told the all-virtual Davos forum on Monday (Jan 17) that the world must vaccinate everybody against Covid-19 to ensure a way out of the pandemic.

Pakistani health authorities on Monday announced the completion of a successful clinical trial of Chinese traditional herbal medicine for treating COVID-19, as the South Asian nation enters a fifth wave of the pandemic driven by the Omicron variant.

The coronavirus transmission is galloping at such an “alarming” rate that there will be no space left in the hospitals in the next one to one-and-a-half months for Covid-19 patients, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday.

The first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has been given to 64 percent of students between the age 12 and 18, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, deputy minister for education, told parliament yesterday.

Md Nazrul Islam Babu, lawmaker from the Narayanganj-2 constituency, has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Pfizer will add a production facility for its antiviral Covid-19 pill in France as part of a plan to invest 520 million euros ($594 million) in the country over the next five years, the US drugmaker said on Monday.

Deputy Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury today told the parliament that 64 percent of the country’s students -- aged 12-18 -- have been given the first jab of Covid-19 vaccine.

At least 6,676 new infections were recorded and 10 people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours till 8:00 am today, said a press release issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).