A new type of Covid-19 sub-variant BF.7 has been detected in Bangladesh.  Professor Dr. Tahmina Shirin, Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) Director confirmed this matter on Sunday, January 1. BF.7 is a new sub-variant of omicron type of Coronavirus. This new type of corona is detected in the body of chinese nationals. They brought a Covid negative certificate from China.  However, rapid antigen test in Bangladesh detected the presence of coronavirus in their bodies. 'Many others on that flight had symptoms. However, they did not any symptoms.  They were sent to Dhaka DNCC Covid-19 Hospital as they were diagnosed with Corona, said Shahriar Sajjad, Health Officer of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The new strain is much more contagious. Earlier, the Department of Health informed that 18 people can be infected from one person infected with BF.7 subtype.

After the perplexing exordium of COVID-19, one of the pernicious most zoonotic viruses(from humans to animals) ever, the public might exercise their caution if any unfledged variety is found coming to view. Although many zoonotic diseases cause mild infections, some are more severe. Most of the world's large-scale outbreaks, such as the Coronavirus, Ebola, MERS, and the Zika virus, have been caused by the spread of zoonotic viruses. The world is grappling with the internecine SARS‑CoV‑2 which has claimed 6.5M lives to date. Monkey-pox is also getting a scary go. Now the situation is compounded by the appearance of a new zoonotic type virus, dubbed, Langya henipavirus (LayV), detected in 35 dissociated fever patients in hospitals in Shandong and Henan provinces of China between 2018 and 2021. This is a negative-strand RNA virus that is generically pinpointed in mammals like shrews and fruit bats. It spreads specifically or implicitly to people from shrews – a small mouse-like mammal found in an increasing proportion of occupancies. The virus was also detected in 2% of domestic goats and 5% of dogs. "There are clearly repeated transmission events from what looks to be a common reservoir in shrews," said Vaughn Cooper, an evolutionary biology professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Research suggests that the shrew may be a natural repertory of the virus. A piece of good tidings is, that the pathogen did not call forth any reported deaths still and all. Symptoms reported appeared to be mostly mild – fever, fatigue, cough, anorexia, myalgia, nausea, and headache. The researchers did not find definitive evidence of LayV spreading between people — there were no clusters of cases in the same family, within a short window of time, or in close geographical proximity. "We are hugely underestimating the number of these zoonotic cases in the world, and this (Langya virus) is just the tip of the iceberg," said emerging virus expert Leo Poon, a professor at the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health. Some henipaviruses are fraught with danger; the Nipah virus, for instance, has a fatality rate between 40% and 75%.This alien virus appears to be an identical cousin of two other viruses that are instrumental in humans: the Nipah virus and Hendra virus. Communicable disease experts have long warned that the climate crisis and the destruction of nature will inflate the risk of viruses being transmitted from animals to humans, in events known as “zoonotic spillovers”. Compiled and edited from different online sources by Sazzad Hossain Shihab

At least 10 people have been detected with coronavirus ‘delta’ variant (earlier it was called Indian variant) at Nababganj upazila in Dhaka district. They came there from Chapainawabganj district to work under Ashrayan project. Dr. Md. Shahidul Islam, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer confirmed the information on Saturday. He said, the infected ten persons work as laborers. They came to Nababganj boarded on a truck from Chapainawabganj on May 18 to work in Ashrayan project. After getting the information the upazila authority collected their samples and sent those to the chest disease hospital in Dhaka on May 26. They are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Dr. Shahidul confirmed that Indian variant of coronavirus has been detected with their samples. AH   

The second wave of coronavirus infection is prevailing in Bangladesh. For the last several months the detection rate comparing to the tested samples is remaining over 10 per cent. Every day around 30 people are dying after being infected with the virus. And the number of detections is remaining over one thousand. In this situation Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) of the government has delivered new information regarding coronavirus variant. On Sunday, at the regular press briefing IEDCR Director Professor Dr. Tahmina Shirin told the news media, we have done 263 genome sequencing and fresh coronavirus variants are being traced in the country. So far, we have found 27 UK variants, 85 South African variants, five Nigerian variants and 23 Indian variants. She said, tracing new variants is not an exceptional matter. As long as corona patients would be identified then there will be transmission and new variants would be found. So, whatever the variant is, we have to abide by the health protocols. Vaccine has to be taken on time. In this way we can decrease number of transmission and will be able to control the pandemic. AH

In Bangladesh 13 people have been detected with coronavirus Indian variant. It was known that of the 13 people seven are from Chapainawabganj district. The news of this type of detection was published on German global information database GISAID. It was known that of the infected 13 people five have recently returned after visiting India. And the rest eight people were infected while staying in Bangladesh. IEDCR has collected the samples from these persons. On May 8 Indian variant of coronavirus (B.1617.2) was detected with two persons for the first time in Bangladesh. Both of them have recently visited India. So far five coronavirus variants have been detected in the country. These are variants of UK, Brazil, India, South Africa and Nigeria. AH

Bangladesh on Thursday reported the death of 20 more people from Covid-19 in 24 hours spiking the total fatalities to 5,460. Health authorities also reported 1,441 new cases of Covid-19 after testing 12,605 samples. The fatality rate in Bangladesh is 1.46 percent while the daily infection rate stands at 11.43 percent. So far, 3,74,592 patients have been detected in the country after testing 20,39,413 samples and 18.37 percent of them have turned out to be Covid-19 positive. The country saw the recovery of 1,685 former Covid-19 patients in the last 24 hours till Thursday 8 am which pushed up the number of total recoveries across the country to 2,88,316. A handout sent by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) provided the latest information confirming that the recovery rate has climbed to 76.97 percent in Bangladesh. Currently, there are 80,816 active cases in the country. Bangladesh is seeing 2,199.52 infections, 1,692.92 recoveries per million while 32.06 are dying against the same number. Of the total victims, 4,213 are men and 1,247 are women. Among the latest victims, 30 are above 50 years old. So far, 2,759 people have died in Dhaka division, 1,106 in Chattogram, 359 in Rajshahi, 445 in Khulna, 193 in Barishal, 235 in Sylhet, 249 in Rangpur and 114 in Mymensingh division. Across the country, 13,794 people are now in isolation and 41,353 in quarantine. In Bangladesh, the first three cases of coronavirus infection were detected on March 8. The cases reached the 300,000-mark on August 26. The first death was reported on March 18 and the death toll exceeded 5,000 on September 22. Source: UNB AH

The death tally from coronavirus in Bangladesh reached 3,184 on Monday with the death of 30 more patients in the last 24 hours. Besides, 1,356 new cases were detected during the period testing only 4,249 samples, bringing the total cases to 2,42,102. Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Nasima Sultana came up with the disclosure at the daily health bulletin. She also revealed that 1,066  patients have made full recovery from Covid-19, raising the total recoveries to 1,37,905. Global coronavirus situation Total Covid-19 cases across the globe reached 18,082,616 with 689,428 deaths on Monday, according to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Coronavirus was first reported in China’s Wuhan province in December last year and later it spread across the globe rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. Source: UNB Read In Bangla Version AH

Health authorities in Bangladesh have so far conducted 11,01,480 RT-PCR tests including 10,446 in the last 24 hours that detected 2,520 new Covid-19 patients. With the latest figure, total Covid-19 cases have increased to 2,21,178 in the country.  The daily infection rate has seen recorded 24.14 percent while overall 20.08 percent people have been infected since March 8.  Although Bangladesh has been conducting over 6000 tests per 10,00,000 population, it is still lower than neighbouring India (11,478/mn) and Pakistan (8,343/mn).  Another 38 people died of Covid-19  in the last 24 hours raising the death tally to 2,874. The fatality rate in the country is still 1.30 percent on the 21st week of Infection. Additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, came up with the disclosure at its daily health bulletin broadcast from Mohakhali. The recovery rate from the disease has been steady at 55.20 percent as 1,22,090 people have recovered from the disease so far.  Till Saturday, nearly 1,400 patients have died in Dhaka division. “Since March 18, 1389 died in Dhaka, 771 in Chattogram, 167 in Rajshahi, 198 in Khulna, 109 in Barishal, 134 in Sylhet, 105 in Rangpur and 61 have died in Mymensingh division,” Dr Nasima said.  Among the 2,874 fatalities, 18 were below 10 years, 30 were aged between 11 and 20, 82 between 21 and 30, 194 between 31 and 40, 407 between 41 and 50, 837 between 51 and 60 and highest 1306 were aged above 60 years.  Dr Nasima reiterated that the number of tests has been dwindling in the country and urged all to give samples for testing. “Do not hesitate to have yourself tested if you have the mildest symptoms,” she said.  At present 19,202 people are in isolation while 59,450 are home and institutionally quarantined in the country.  Source: UNB AH

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, MP and his wife Laila Arjumand Banu have been detected with coronavirus. Besides, minister’s Personal Secretary Habibur Rahman also has been infected with the virus. Senior Information Officer of the ministry Sufi Abdullahil Maruf confirmed the information to Rtv online on Friday. It was known that with symptoms of Covid-19 their samples were tested on Thursday and the report was given on Friday which showed positive for the virus. At present the minister, his wife and personal secretary are being treated at home following advice from the physicians. The minister sought doa from the countrymen for him and the other infected. AH

Coronavirus has at last invaded in the hill tracts district Rangamati which was out of its coverage. Dr. Mostafa Kamal, Corona in Charge at the Civil Surgeon office of Rangamati confirmed on Wednesday that Covid-19 has been detected in the bodies of four people after testing the samples in Chattogram. He said, we are sure about the matter after getting information from Chattogram. Bipash Khisa, Civil Surgeon of Rangamati said, the samples of the infected people were collected on April 29 and we got the report today. Of them one resides at Reserve Bazar area, one at Debashis Nagar and two at Sadar Hospital area.  While performing test at the Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University coronavirus was traced in their bodies. AKM Mamunur Rashid, Deputy Commissioner of Rangamati said, the affected areas will be locked down. As the samples were collected on April 29, the samples of those persons will be collected today to perform tests again. AH