88% Covid patients in Bangladesh infected by Omicron

A staggering 88 per cent of the total Covid-19 patients of the country were infected with Omicron variant while 12 per cent with Delta during June 29, 2021 to February 9, 2022, suggests a latest study.

Supervisor of the Genome Sequencing Research Project Professor Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), on Thursday revealed the findings of an ongoing study at a press briefing, reports UNB.

Nasopharyngeal samples of total 937 patients from each division of the country were collected as representative samples for genome sequencing during the period.

According to the survey findings, most of the patients were aged between 30 to 59 years, and children were also infected with the coronavirus, he said.

Of the infected patients, 51 percent were women and 49 per cent men.

Covid-19 patients with comorbidities like cancer, respiratory disease, heart disease and diabetes showed more severe symptoms.

Patients aged above 60 are more likely to die if contracted with the virus for the second time, the study shows.

The genome sequencing analysis of samples of Covif-19 patients in July, 2021, showed 98 per cent were infected with Indian Delta variant, one per cent with South African variant or Beta variant while another one per cent with Mauritius or Nigerian variant.

However, the samples collected from August, 2021 to first week of December, 2021 showed 99.31 per cent were infected with the Delta variant.

Eighyt per cent of the total Covid-19 patients in the country were infected with Delta variant while 20 per cent with Omicron during December 8, 2021-January 8, 2022, said data from the same study revealed on January 18, this year.

The results revealed were from the findings of seven months and 15 days.

The ongoing research of the BSMMU team aims to create a Covid-19 genome database of Bangladesh, revealing its characteristics, mutation types and its interrelation with the global Covid-19 genome data.

Prof Sharfuddin Ahmed said they are hopeful of updating the results of the coming weeks soon.

The survey is being conducted by a BSMMU team, led by Dr Laila Anjuman Banu, a professor of Genetics and Molecular Biology and chair of the Department of Anatomy, collecting samples of patients across the country, he said.