The last time there were zero deaths in a 24-hour period was on April 3, 2020.

However, the Directorate General of Health Services of Bangladesh said on Saturday 178 new cases were detected among the 15,107 people tested at different health facilities across the country.

Bangladesh has recorded a total of 15.7 million COVID-19 cases and 27,964 deaths since March 2020.

The country witnessed a spike in infections in May, driven by the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus.

It prompted authorities to issue a raft of restrictions culminating in a national lockdown in July. These measures were repealed as the infection rate dropped in late August.

Experts have warned against complacency, saying that a fresh wave of the coronavirus could hit the country unless health guidelines are followed.

"Today we have zero deaths, which is good for our morale in the fight against COVID-19," Nazrul Islam, a virologist, told Efe.

"But we should not get carried away. We must continue vaccinating people and follow other health guidelines," the member of the National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 added.

Over 53 million residents have received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of November 18 while over 34 million have received a second dose, according to DGHS data.

Australian Associated Press