Bangladesh reports 2,523 new virus cases, a daily record; deaths hit 582

Bangladesh has reported a record 2,523 new coronavirus cases in a day, bringing the tally of infections to 42,844.

The death toll from COVID-19 rose to 582 after 23 new deaths were registered in the 24 hours to 8 am Friday, according to the health directorate.

The latest fatalities include 19 men and four women, DGHS Additional Director General Nasima Sultana said in a media briefing on Friday.

Another 590 COVID-19 patients were released from hospitals in the last 24 hours, raising the recovery count to 9,015, she added.

A total of 11,301 samples were tested at 49 authorised labs across the country in the same period, according to government data.

Globally, over 5.81 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 360,437 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.