Researchers in Chattogram have found cases of BA.2, an omicron subvariant, which is more transmissible than BA.1 and currently the dominant version of the coronavirus strain worldwide, bdnews24.com reports.
They believe the BA.2 subvariant, which is also thought to be more able to infect vaccinated people, is causing a surge in infections.
The researchers of Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University found the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.529, in all 10 samples after genome sequencing.
The omicron subvariant, BA.2, was found in four samples. “That’s the most contagious,” Assistant Professor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Rana said on Wednesday.
The samples were collected from Jan 20 to Jan 22 when the daily case positivity rate in the district was about 35 percent. The patients, aged between 23 and 75, were from Nandankanan, Jalalabad, Kotwali, Chandgao, Bayezid, Shah Waliullah and Chawkbazar in the city, and Madanhat, Madarsha and Fatika in Hathazari Upazila.
Dr Iftekhar said the researchers found significant number of mutations in the sequenced samples. In one of the samples, they detected 68 mutations.
“The number of infections has gone up because the patients carry the highly infectious variant. So, it is very much necessary to follow the health rules everywhere. Otherwise infections will surge.”
The patients had very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat, cold and mild fever, Iftekhar said. None of them developed breathing problem or required oxygen support or hospitalisation.
The BA.2 omicron subvariant is more transmissible than the more common BA.1 and more able to infect vaccinated people, a recent Danish study has found.
Worldwide, the "original" BA.1 subvariant accounts for more than 98 percent of omicron cases, but its close cousin ba.2 has quickly become the dominant strain in Denmark, dethroning ba.1 in the second week of January, Reuters reported.
The World Health Organization said the emerging ba.2 form of the omicron coronavirus variant does not seem to be any more severe than the original BA.1 form.
It said vaccines also continue to provide similar protection against the different forms of omicron.
The comments came earlier this month as the BA.2 subvariant began to replace omicron's more common "original" BA.1 subvariant in countries such as Denmark, which was the first country where BA.2 overtook BA.1.
The subvariant is already becoming dominant in the Philippines, Nepal, Qatar and India as well.
