B'desh records biggest jump in COVID-19 cases

 The total number of confirmed cases in Bangladesh reached 70 on Saturday with the emergence of nine new cases, the biggest jump in a a 24-hour period, according to a health official.

Bangladesh's COVID-19 death toll rose to eight, with two more fatalities, Xinhua news agency quoted Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), as saying.

Samples from 434 persons were tested in the last 24 hours across the country, the health official said.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved a fast-track $100 million financing to help Bangladesh fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Bank project aims to help Bangladesh prevent, detect, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen its national systems for public health emergencies.

"This project will support the implementation of Bangladesh's national plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," said the bank.

"It will help strengthen the country's response by ensuring that effective surveillance and diagnostic systems are in place and that medical supplies, personal protective equipment, ventilators and isolation units are available in designated hospitals." IANS