<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">The overall number of global Covid-19 cases is gradually nearing 667 million, with the sudden surge of the virus’ sub-variant in Asia. </b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to latest global data, the total case count mounted to 666,603,048 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,703,798 this morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The US has recorded 102,963,370 cases so far, while 1,120,040 people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">India reported 141 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, taking the caseload to 44,680,402.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With no deaths reported across the country during this period, India’s Covid death toll remained static at 530,707.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, France has registered 39,356,184 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position, while 162,377 people have died in the country, as per the Worldometer. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday that the agency is “concerned about the risk to life in China” amid the coronavirus’ explosive spread across the country and the lack of outbreak data from the Chinese government, reports AP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency recently met with Chinese officials to underline the importance of sharing more details about Covid-19 issues including hospitalisation rates and genetic sequences, even as the pandemic continues to recede globally since it began in late 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The WHO said Chinese scientists have now shared more than 770 sequences, with omicron subvariants BA.5 and its descendants accounting for more than 97% of all local infections. Globally, BA.5 variants comprise about 68% of all sequences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China reported 9,308 Covid cases in the last 24 hours till Thursday morning, taking the caseload to 461,825. With one more death, the country’s death toll stands at 5,259.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Covid-19 in Bangladesh</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bangladesh registered 21 more Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,208, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,440 as no new fatalities were reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The daily case test positivity fell to 0.62 percent from Tuesday's 0.74 percent as 3,404 samples were tested during the period.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The mortality and recovery rates remained unchanged at 1.45 percent and 97.59 per cent, respectively, it added. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>