Omicron taking place of Delta variant of Covid-19: DGHS

The South African Omicron variant is gradually taking the place of Delta variant of Covid-19 across the country.  In a health bulletin today, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) spokesperson Prof Dr Nazmul Islam said 73 percent of people detected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 showed symptom of runny nose while 68 percent have headache, 64 percent have fatigue, and 60 percent have sneezing.

Sixty percent of the patients showed symptom of sore throat and 44 percent have cough, he added. "We have to keep these issues in mind," Nazmul said. The symptoms have similarities with the seasonal flu and influenza.

"So, we should visit doctors for treatment while these symptoms showed up... Compared to the past three months, the number of patients has increased significantly in hospitals creating a pressure on the entire health system," the spokesperson added.

"If we ignore the health rules, the number of coronavirus cases will increase in the country," he added.  On Sunday, Bangladesh reported 10,906 Covid-19 cases while the coronavirus claimed overnight 14 lives. "The country reported 31.29 percent Covid-19 positive cases as 34,854 samples were tested in the past 24 hours," Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its routine daily statement.

As per the WHO standard, Bangladesh remained well below the danger line as the country witnessed less than five percent positivity rate of Covid-19 for over three months but authorities issued a fresh alert on November 27, 2021 for Bangladesh after the outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

WHO has declared the Omicron as a "variant of concern". The fresh wave, however, is reported from across the globe following the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus from South Africa on November 25, 2021 and was first detected in Bangladesh on December 11.