The spike in coronavirus infection continues unabated as Bangladesh has spotted three different sub-types of Omicron variant, causing social transmission here.
The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) lab detected Omicron in five out of 77 Covid cases in Dhaka last December.
Others were of Delta variant, according to a study done by the country's reputed research entity.
The ICDDR,B lab identified Omicron in 260 (69 per cent) out of 379 samples received from Dhaka city in the first two weeks of this January.
"Complete sequencing analysis of Omicron variants reported from Bangladesh suggests that at least three different sub-types… have been circulating in Dhaka with African, Euro-American, and Asia-Pacific origin."
The study has been disclosed on the ICDDR,B website.
As of January 20, a total of 63 Omicron cases from Bangladesh have been reported to the GISAID database. Fifty-two of them are from Dhaka city, eight from Chattogram and three from Jashore.
ICDDR,B senior scientist Dr Mostafizur Rahman said they spotted three Omicron sub-types-BA1, BA2 and BA3.
"In the coming days, the transmission of Omicron variant will be increasing for sure. The positivity rate could go up to 60 per cent in the next two weeks."
Dr Rahman suggests following the Covid-19 health protocol to stay protected.
Bangladesh recorded 14,828 more new cases and 15 deaths in the last 24 hours until Monday morning, according to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Monday's caseload was the highest since 03 August 2021 when 15,778 people tested positive for Covid-19.
The latest cases came after screening 45,807 samples from 860 labs countrywide and the daily positivity rate was 32.37 per cent against Sunday's 31.29 per cent.
The rates in the previous five days were 28.02 per cent (Saturday), 28.49 per cent (Friday), 26.37 per cent (Thursday), 25.11 per cent (Wednesday) and 23.98 per cent (Tuesday).
In terms of infections and fatalities, Dhaka topped the list with 9,426 new cases and six deaths. With the latest data, the entire tally of coronavirus-related fatalities climbed to 28,238 while the total caseload reached 1,699,964.
Week-wise statistics show both infection and fatality have increased significantly in the past seven days ending on January 23.
The country witnessed 67,424 new cases and 79 deaths in that week while the numbers were 24,011 and 42 in the week before that.
However, 998 people recovered from Covid countrywide, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,557,859.
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