Mask mandates must return as Covid-19 cases are rising in Bangladesh with the spread of a new variant, experts say.
On January 18, the government’s disease monitoring arm, IEDCR, confirmed the presence of the sub-variant JN.1, an Omicron strain, a month after WHO called it a “variant of interest.”
This strain spreads rapidly but is less severe.
Five samples out of six tested positive for JN.1 when Bangladesh confirmed the presence of the new variant.
“We have instructed all relevant stakeholders to send samples to us for testing if they want,” Dr Tahmina Shireen, director of the IEDCR, told Dhaka Tribune.
“Wearing masks and avoiding crowds are the mandatory health messages as always for COVID prevention,” she said. “The good thing is that the vaccine is effective against this new variant. The government has started a vaccination campaign again. It's the fourth dose for those who took the booster.”
Over two million people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Bangladesh since the first cases were confirmed in March 2020 amid the pandemic.
Of them, nearly 30,000 people have died. Strict health protocols, such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing, and testing booths in almost all places had been implemented. Still, such protocols were not maintained as the pandemic was deemed over.
But the cases are rising again with the new variant. In the last 24 hours, 34 new cases were detected. The case detection rate was 8.7%.
“We should start wearing masks,” Medicine specialist Dr Rashedul Hassan Kanak told Dhaka Tribune. He has started getting patients with Covid-19 symptoms.
“But they are recovering. I have observed that the oxygen saturation level falls quickly after getting a fever or other symptoms and then bounces back quickly. So, there is nothing to be worried about. But we should not ignore the situation. We need to start using masks again,” Dr Kanak, an associate professor at the Green Life Hospital in Dhaka, said.
It is unknown whether the JN.1 infection produces different symptoms than other variants. In general, symptoms of Covid-19 tend to be similar across variants. According to the US CDC, the types of signs and how severe they are usually depend more on a person’s immunity and overall health than which variant causes the infection.
The Bangladesh government has announced a fresh Covid-19 inoculation campaign with the target of giving 25 million shots in 2024 and 2025.
Dr M Mushtaq Hussain, an advisor of the IEDCR, told Dhaka Tribune that the national technical committee on Covid-19 has instructed all to use masks, particularly in hospitals, and maintain health and hygiene rules such as washing hands and maintaining social distance.
“If you have any symptoms, please get tested,” he said, adding that the new variant is mild in nature, but elderly people and those who have chronic diseases can suffer.
“The government will enhance vaccination drives starting next month. Healthcare workers and volunteers will get priority,” he said.
The virus that causes Covid-19 is constantly changing over time. Sometimes these changes allow new variants to spread more quickly or effectively. If that occurs, the new variant may become more common relative to other variants that are circulating, according to the US CDC.
“The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems. At this time, there is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants. There is no indication of increased severity from JN.1 at this time,” the CDC said.