Covid cases creep up

The Covid-19 infection rate has been on a sudden rise in the country over the past few days but the reason is yet to be confirmed.

Experts fear that JN.1, a subvariant of Omicron, may be behind it.

Health officials said they have been collecting samples from infected patients for genome sequencing so that they could find out whether JN.1 has infiltrated the country.

They said that though the infection rate saw a sudden rise over the past few days, it might come down within this month. However, it may spike again around February-March.

"There is no danger in the JN.1 variant, but we are still definitely at risk. We haven't seen such a fast growth in the infection rate in such a short period of time before. This, however, cannot be called the sixth wave," Mushtaq Hossain, public health expert and former advisor of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told The Daily Star yesterday.

He added that it was also unusual for Covid infection rates to rise in winter.

As the infection rate has been rising globally, the World Health Organization, in a recent publication, said the overall risk posed by the variant was assessed to be "low", while the existing vaccines are also enough to offer protection against it. 

WHO has already named the JN.1 as a "variant of interest" or "variant to watch for", as it is spreading fast.

So far, no case of the JN.1 variant has been reported yet in Bangladesh. But health experts fear that it may come or has already come here as it was found in India.

Earlier on December 20, the Covid-19 infection rate was at 0.66 percent. However, by yesterday, it shot up to 3.98.

Only five people were record with the infection from the beginning of December till the 20th -- when five new cases were found.

By January 3, the number of infected people increased to 16.

ABM Abdullah, emeritus professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said that those who have been vaccinated will be protected from this new JN.1 strain, but advised maintaining hygiene rules.

"People complied with hygiene rules, like wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining social distance, during the lockdown. But they aren't interested in those anymore as they aren't scared of the virus anymore."

Professor Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR, said, "We are cautious about the new variant…. We've taken necessary measures in this regard and increased surveillance at the country's entry points. But people are not following the hygiene rules."

Meanwhile, the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 has suggested that the authorities concerned to take necessary initiatives, including issuing instructions to wear masks.

In a statement, signed by its Chairman Professor Dr Mohammad Shahidullah, published early yesterday, it also suggested keeping testing and treatment facilities ready for emergencies.

Besides, the committee also recommended screening travelers coming from abroad.

The NTAC also advised high-risk individuals, such as those with other health issues, to take the fourth dose of the Covid vaccines.