As the new variant of the Coronavirus is more contagious than the previous ones, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has directed all ports -- land, air, and sea -- of Bangladesh to increase screening and precautionary measures.
“Apart from the screening, authorities have been instructed to isolate the affected person after testing through rapid antigen test at all ports,” said Prof Dr Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general (administration) of DGHS on Sunday.
The new variant - BF7 - is a sub-variant of Omicron. It is also known as R18. Which means, it can infect 18 people from one affected patient, he added.
He also noted that this variant's incubation period is short, so it can infect more people in comparatively less time.
The BF7 Omicron sub-variant's full name is BA5217.
SARS-CoV-2 has evolved since it first emerged in 2019 like any other virus. As it evolved, it acquired a number of mutations, leading to a number of variants.
