Bangladesh on saturday nearly 5,000 cases confirmed of novel coronavirus in 309 more people have been infected with the virus in the last 24 hours. The number of conavirus cases now stands at 4,998.

On regular online briefing Professor Dr Nasima Sultana, Additional Director General of Health Directorate, revealed the information.

The number of death toll from the deadly contagious virus has reached 140 as nine more people died. Of the deceased, five are female and four are male. Three are the inhabitants of Dhaka and the rest outside the capital, she said.

In the last 24 hours, 3,422 samples were collected and out of them, 3,337 samples were examined where 309 got positive results for the virus, she added.

Bangladesh reported its first three cases of COVID-19 on March 8.

The new coronavirus pandemic first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year.

The World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic on March 11.

The deadly virus spread to 210 countries and territories, killing some 197,421 people globally, according to Worldometer, a website which compiles number of new coronavirus cases and deaths from it.

As many as 2,834,697 people worldwide caught the virus. Among them, 808,024 people recovered from the virus, the website said.

Sunbd/nj