<span style="color: black;">The COVID situation in Bangladesh continued to be grim with 226 deaths being reported in a single day on Thursday. This is the second highest death toll in a day after 230 deaths reported on Sunday, 11th July. The death toll has now gone up to 17,278. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: black;">On the same day, 12236 new cases of Coronavirus infection were also reported taking the total number of infected persons to over 10.19 lakh. The number of active cases in the country was recorded at 1,48,689 which is 13.9 percent of all the cases.<br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: black;">The sample positivity rate in the country was recorded to be 27.23 percent which marked a decline from 29.14 percent reported on Wednesday.<br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: black;">Bangladesh on Thursday removed the countrywide COVID restrictions imposed from 1st July ahead of the Eid-Ul-Azha festival scheduled for 21 July. Highways and ferry terminals reported heavy rush of vehicles and passengers leaving the capital city for their home towns and villages. The government has simultaneously announced the resumption of lockdown from July 23 till August 5 in view of the surge in COVID 19 cases.<br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: black;">Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said that people above the age of 18 will be brought under the ambit of COVID vaccination in the country. He said that Bangladesh has a stock of 45 lakh doses of the vaccine and nearly 1.5 crore doses, including that of AstraZeneca, will arrive in Bangladesh soon. </span><br />''  <br />