The positivity rate of Covid-19 tests continued to decline for the fifth consecutive day yesterday.

The ongoing travel and other restrictions will be extended for a week from tomorrow considering the current situation of Covid-19 in the country.

Describing Covid-19 vaccines as global public goods, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Bangladesh believes in primacy of United Nations and other international institutions to meet everyone’s demand for vaccines and medical requirements on the basis of equity and justice.

Supply of medical oxygen to public hospitals is under strain as the demand for the life-sustaining gas has doubled over the last few weeks, posing new challenges in the battle against the second wave of the coronavirus infections.

The economic shock induced by the pandemic has pushed 2.45 crore people -- 14.75 percent of the country’s population -- into poverty in one year, according to a new survey.

The Russian government has offered Bangladesh to either buy around 2.5 crore doses of Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine or produce the shots locally with its assistance.

Police had fired 332 shots and four teargas shells during demonstrations by agitating workers of SS Power I Plant in Gandamara area of Chattogram’s Banshkhali upazila on Saturday, which left five workers dead and at least 21 people injured.

Irked by Hefajat’s violent activities starting with the protest against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last month, the government has decided to bring to book everyone involved in the mayhem in different parts of the country, especially Brahmanbaria.

While the transmission of the novel coronavirus has turned almost the entire country into a high-risk zone, the number of daily tests has been decreasing resulting in many people carrying the virus undetected – ultimately infecting others around them.

Around half of the ongoing projects of Bangladesh Railway will have to be revised after the end of the current fiscal year, thanks to poor implementation.

The current travel and other restrictions will be extended for a week from April 22 as hospitals continue to struggle to cope with the number of Covid-19 patients.

With the disruption in the supply of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), the government has formed a five-member committee to find alternative sources of Covid vaccines.

Dhaka has witnessed a rise in temperature of almost 3 degrees Celsius in the last 20 years while the world is fighting to contain the increase in global temperature to under 1.5 degrees.

Seven out of 12 scheduled special flights left the Dhaka airport as of 9:00pm yesterday.

The number of adults suffering from depression and anxiety has increased in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Workers of SS Power I Plant in Chattogram said long-simmering discontent over hygienic and accommodation conditions, lack of pay hikes and payment of arrears led to Saturday’s protests which left five people killed and dozens of workers with bullet injuries.

One hundred and two people died from Covid-19 in 24 hours ending at 8:00am yesterday, said a press release of the Directorate General of Health Services.

The Rayerbazar graveyard – the lone Covid-19-dedicated graveyard in the capital – has been seeing an alarming influx of bodies as over 100 of them were buried in just two weeks of this month.

The government is going to extend the current restrictions on travelling and outdoor activities for another week and the authorities will be even stricter in enforcing the restrictions, sources in the cabinet division said.

Top Hefajat-e Islam leader Mamunul Haque was arrested in the capital yesterday as the government continues crackdown on the Islamist outfit for its recent violent activities.