Health authorities have detected the cases of Delta variant, previously known as Indian variant, of coronavirus in seven workers of Ashrayan Project in Nawabganj upazila, Keraniganj, reports UNB.

Upazila health officer Mohammad Shahidul Islam said on Saturday night that 10 workers who came from Chapainawabganj district were tested for coronavirus and seven of them detected with the Delta variant.

On 18 May, the 10 workers came to join Matabpur Ashrayan Project at Nawabganj Keilile union. They all came in a truck along 63 other fellowmen.

As some of them had been suffering from cough, cold and fever, the authorities asked them on 23 May to provide their samples for Covid-19 tests but they refused to do so.

Two days later, a separate medical team was formed and it collected samples from some of the workers. After laboratory tests, the results of 10 workers came out Covid positive.

Apprehending the existence of Delta variant, the medical team sent the samples of the Covid-19 patients to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Dhaka where doctors detected seven, out of the 10, infected with the variant on 3 June.

Now all the infected patients are undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH), Dhaka.

“It’s a dangerous sign and all of them have been asked to follow the government’s health safety protocols,” said Shahidul.

The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus was detected in Bangladesh for the first time on 8 May.
Bangladesh closed its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo.