DHAKA, Nov 27, 2021: Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid
Maleque today said Bangladesh remains alert to prevent the highly contagious
new African variant Omicron.
“We have directed all relevant organizations to take emergency measures to
prevent highly contagious new African variant Omicron,” he told in an audio
statement while leaving for Geneva, Switzerland for attending the World
Health Assembly Second Special Session, an official release said.
Maleque said the government has been informed that the new recently-
discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19 (Omicron) has spread in several
countries of African and Europe.
All gateways including air, land and waterways have been instructed to
conduct screening of all passengers of Omicron infected countries to stop
possible transmission of the new variant, he added.
On November 25 (Thursday) scientists in South Africa said they had detected
a new Covid-19 variant (Omicron) with multiple mutations.
The World Health Organization on Friday (November 26) declared the
recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern
Africa, to be a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron.
The classification puts Omicron into the most-troubling category of Covid-
19 variants, along with the globally-dominant Delta, plus its weaker rivals
Alpha, Beta and Gamma.
Source: BSS
