The COVID-19 death rate increased in Bangladesh in recent days as the country recorded 54 deaths from the novel coronavirus in 24 hours till Wednesday morning,  the single-day highest in a month.

Health experts feared that the recent trend of rampant public movement ignoring health guidelines taking coronavirus lightly might deteriorate the situation soon although the infection rate decreased in recent weeks.

People hardly use masks while social distancing at shopping malls and transports is hardly maintained.

Directorate General of Health Services additional director general Meerjady Sabrina Flora feared that the infections rose in areas where people’s movement increased.

‘Overall, the infection rate is declining at many places, but if we fail to ensure social distancing, use of masks, it won’t take long to increase the number of patients,’ she told journalists at her office on Wednesday.

‘Many countries are going through the second and third waves. From that point of view, we have to keep a close watch on preparation and the prevention of the spread COVID-19,’ said Meerjady, also the immediate past director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.

She said that Rajbarai, Chuadanga, Dinajpur and border areas witnessed a sudden surge in infection.

Noted virologist Nazrul Islam also feared that COVID-19 would spread further due to the rampant movement in the public sphere.

He observed that the health services played down the situation by stopping daily bulletin, giving rise to a false impression that the severity of COVID-19 had decreased.

The DGHS on Wednesday said that in the past 24 hours, 54 people died of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, raising the death toll to 4,082 since March 18, the day the country recorded the first coronavirus death.

The country is now on the 25th week of infection since the first detection of the first three cases on March 8 and has so far tallied 3,02,147 cases including 2,519 in the past 24 hours.

Until the end of the 20th week of infection, the COVID-19 death rate was 1.30 per cent and now it stood at 1.35 per cent.

The death rate is 1.49 per cent between the beginning of the 21st week and Wednesday.

The death rate is on the rise since the 23rd week — 1.34 per cent in the 23rd week, 1.56 per cent in the 24th week and 1.84 per cent in the 25th week.

The infection rate has, however, decreased since the 23rd week — 21.08 per cent in the 23rd week, 20.06 per cent in the 24th week and 17.83 per cent in the 25th week.

The gross infection rate in the country is now 20.34 per cent, which is still high compared to other countries. The infection rate puts Bangladesh on the eighth position on the list of countries with highest COVID-19 infection rate.

The past four days’ daily death counts in the ongoing week were 34 on Sunday, 42 on Monday, 45 on Tuesday and 54 on Wednesday, while the infection rate was 18.27 per cent on Sunday, 18.57 per cent on Monday, 17.98 per cent on Tuesday and 16.72 per cent on Wednesday.

Health minister Zahid Maleque on Monday claimed that the COVID-19 situation in the country was now ‘good’.

Virologist Nazrul Islam, also a member of National Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said that the government office bearers should not play down the COVID-19 situation, rather the country should prepare for the second wave of the infection.

The DGHS said that among 54 new deaths, five occurred at home, as most of the COVID-19 patients were taking treatment at home although the hospital beds were lying vacant.

Since May 17, at least 612 COVID-19 patients have died at home and 31 died on way to hospital, accounting 15.75 per cent of the total COVID-19 deaths occurring outside hospital, according to the DGHS records.

On Wednesday, 4,380 patients were taking treatment at hospitals among 1,07,882 active cases.

Nazrul said that the patients lack trust in hospitals and refraining them from admission but stay at homes, which was one the reason of COVID-19 deaths in Bangladesh.

So far 1,90,183 COVID-19 have patients recovered in Bangladesh, including 3,427 in the past 24 hours.