69% Covid patients in Dhaka infected with Omicron in 2 weeks: icddr,b

Sixty-nine percent of Covid-19 positive people have been infected with the Omicron variant in Dhaka city during the first two weeks of this month, according to icddr,b.

Omicron was identified in 260 out of 379 samples positive for Covid-19 in icddr,b lab during the period, icddr'b revealed in a survey recently (January 20).

Median age of Omicron-infected patients (33.5 years) was less than those infected by Delta (40 years).

Complete sequencing analysis suggests that at least three different sub-types of the Omicron variant have been circulating in Dhaka, the survey added.

Omicron variant was first detected in Bangladesh on December 6, 2021. In December 2021, Omicron was detected in 5 out of 77 Covid-19 positive cases of Dhaka city tested in icddr,b lab. Others were Delta variant.

International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) interviewed 29 Omicron-infected patients over the phone and found that 27 of the patients had mild or no symptoms, 24 of them had received 2 doses of vaccine, 3 had received only 1 dose, only one was hospitalised for one day and none had travelled abroad except one returning from Saudi Arabia.

The health research organisation suggested vaccination and wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, and frequently washing hands with soap and water to stay safe from Covid-19.

Omicron is the latest edition and has already spread to more than 100 countries, including Bangladesh. This variant is considered to have increased transmissibility and harboured new genetic changes, which may impact clinical manifestation and vaccine effectiveness.