Scientists of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) say a new strain of coronavirus has been identified in Bangladesh, with similarities to the new coronavirus strain detected in the UK.
The organization’s chief scientific officer Selim Khan confirmed the news to media yesterday.
Last month, BCSIR scientists tested 17 genome sequences of coronavirus and identified five new strains of the virus.
Dr. Khan said the latest genome sequence analysis was conducted in the first week of November and it found protein mutations in two spikes of the coronavirus. “Such mutations have been reported in Russia and Peru before Bangladesh. The mutations were found in one sample in each of those countries. “But we found five mutations out of 17 samples.”
He also said that new virus identified in the UK did not match the characteristics with the virus found in Bangladesh. But one new strain was almost similar to the one found in the UK, though it was not 100 per cent same.
Selim Khan said they took the samples from the National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Center in Agargaon for genome sequencing.
However, the information on the samples has already been sent to the Center to identify from whom the samples were collected, said BCSIR’s chief scientific officer.
Meanwhile, authorities have urged the countrymen not to be panicked over the
new coronavirus strain detected in the UK.
“There is no need to panic right now as research into the new coronavirus variant in Bangladesh is still going on,” said BCSIR chairman Prof Md Aftab Ali Shaikh, adding, “It would not be proper to spread fears over unfinished research into the subject.”
The new coronavirus strain detected in the UK and spreading through southern England is being touted as “highly contagious,” sending the country into a strict lockdown over the Christmas break.
The variant, first identified in September, is being closely monitored by scientists and researchers, in an effort to understand if it’s more infectious or transmissible than previous variants.
More than 40 countries have already restricted travel from Britain in a bid to contain the new strain of the novel coronavirus reported to be spreading at 70 per cent faster than the previous strain.
