<span style="color: #222222;">The COVID 19 death toll in Bangladesh crossed 14,000 as 77 people died in the country over the last 24 hours on Saturday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">During the same period 4334 fresh COVID 19 cases were detected in the country taking the total number of people infected by the virus to more than 8.83 lakh.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">However, the sample positivity rate continued to climb up in the country.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the positivity rate on Saturday went up to 22.50 percent from 21.22 percent on Friday and 19.93 percent a day earlier.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, people started leaving Dhaka and surrounding districts for their home towns and villages as the government announced a hard lockdown starting from Monday during which movement of vehicles and people will be completely restricted.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Big rush was observed at bus and ferry terminals even while the neighbouring districts of Dhaka are already under lockdown.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Amid surging cases and shortage of vaccines, the US government has announced that it will gift 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Bangladesh.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller said in a twitter post on Saturday that Bangladesh will soon receive the 2.5 million doses of the vaccine from the US through the COVAX platform of the WHO.</span>