DHAKA, Bangladesh 

Bangladesh registered 80 additional coronavirus deaths Saturday and 3,436 more infections. 

The numbers showed a downward trend this week and were the lowest in more than two months.

The south Asian country had not reported fatalities below 100 since June 26. And, the country of more than 170 million saw its lowest number of daily infections since June 19, according to official data.

The number of deaths reached 25,926, with a fatality rate of 1.74%. The total caseload stands at 14,89,589 with a current positivity rate of 13.67%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DHGS).

Authorities tested 25,129 samples, said DGHS, adding that recoveries rose to nearly 94.61%.

Bangladesh received more than 634,900 Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan on Saturday under the UN COVAX facility.

The country has inoculated just 4% of its population but the health minister said the government will inoculate more than 70 million residents by December.

Rural residents will have priority in the inoculation campaign as the number of deaths has increased in villages with a low number of vaccinations in villages, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

The elderly will also be vaccinated on a priority basis, he said.