Representational Photo BigstockThe variant was detected from a sample collected at a Dhaka hospital, says the IEDCRBangladesh has detected its first case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India, says the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). The variant has been detected from a sample collected at the Evercare Hospital in capital Dhaka, said ASM Alamgir, the chief scientific officer of the government’s disease control agency, on Saturday. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described it as a "variant of interest," suggesting it may have mutations that would make the virus more transmissible, cause more severe disease or evade vaccine immunity. Also Read - Covid-19: India sees record high daily deaths again as case numbers surgeOn March 8, health authorities in Bangladesh reported the first three cases of Covid-19, a severe acute respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus strain which was later named Sars-CoV-2. As many as 135,062,000 people have recovered from Covid-19, which has affected 219 countries and territories across the planet.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 08, 2021 08:26 UTC