Seventeen more people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in Thakurgaon district in 24 hours, till this morning -- showing a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Civil Surgeon Dr Mahfuzar Rahman said 17 people were found infected with the virus as per test reports from M Abdur Rahim Medical College, Dinajpur CDC, Sadar Hospital and upazila hospitals.

So far, 1,742 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the district. Of them, 1,575 people have recovered.

The death toll from the virus reached 38 in the district, he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Thakurgaon Dr KM Kamruzzaman Selim said, "The district has been experiencing a rise in Covid-19 cases over the last several days and most of the cases have been reported from Baliadangi upazila, a frontier area."

According to sources at the civil surgeon's office, three people were found infected with Covid-19 on May 29, seven on May 30, eight on May 31, 17 on June 2, 18 on June 3, two on June 4 and 17 on June 5.

Referring to the Delta (Indian) variant of coronavirus, Dr Mahfuzar, said, "No Indian returnee has been found in the district so far."

Talking about the healthcare system in the district, the civil surgeon said a 50-bed Covid-19 unit has already been opened at Sadar Hospital while isolation wards at upazila health complexes have been prepared for treating Covid-19 patients.

Earlier, on Thursday, the border areas of Thakurgaon were sealed off in the wake of a sudden spike in Covid-19 cases in the district, officials said.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been asked to step up vigil along the border with India to prevent the spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant, said Lt Col Md Maksud, commanding officer of BGB-50 Thakurgaon Battalion.