7 more diagnosed with Indian Covid variant in C’nawabganj
The Indian variant of Covid-19 has been detected in seven more Bangladeshis in Chapainawabganj.
Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) confirmed the presence of the Indian variant after conducting genome sequencing on the samples collected from them, IEDCR Director Prof Tahmina Shirin said on Friday night.
Although the district is already under complete lockdown, the new cases have created a fresh concern in the region.
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Prof ABM Khurshid Alam, director general of the health directorate, said they were yet to take any decision on putting the greater Rajshahi region under lockdown.
However, the ongoing lockdown will continue in Chapainawabganj, he added.
Earlier, on May 18, after returning home from neighbouring India, some three to four people were diagnosed with the Indian variant of Covid-19 in Chapainawabganj and Jashore districts.
Some six people were diagnosed with the deadly Indian variant in Jashore on 8 May, for the first time in Bangladesh. They all returned home from the neighbouring country in the prior days.
According to the health authorities, the Indian Covid variant is highly contagious. The infected persons may already have infected those who came in contact with them. If the pandemic guidelines are not followed, the variant can spread among the masses.
Though the Bangladesh government closed the border with India due to resurgence in coronavirus ceses, many Bangladeshis were allowed to enter the country, subject to having a Covid-19 negative certificate. They were put in mandatory quarantine.
Coronavirus infections soared in India in a "tsunami" of disease, setting a new world record for cases over the past few weeks.
India's second wave has hit the country with such ferocity that hospitals are running out of oxygen, beds, and antiviral drugs. Many patients are being turned away due to lack of space for them.
