Genome sequencing of specimens from Covid-19 patients has found the highly contagious Delta variant among 98 per cent of the participants, according to a study.
Vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and supervisor of the genome sequencing research project, Sharfuddin Ahmed, unveiled the findings of the study to newspersons at the university on Thursday.
BSMMU carried out the study after collecting 300 samples for genome sequencing from eight divisions from 29 July to 30 July this year.
Forty three per cent of the participants of the study were male. The age of the participants was between nine months and 90 years with patients aged 30-39 years dominating the study.
The study found only 1 per cent of Covid-19 patients having the Beta variant. However, 3 per cent of the Covid patients were found to have Beta variant in the first 15 days of the study.
Besides, a Covid patient was found to have Mauritius or Nigerian variant and underwent further examination.
The variants of novel coronavirus first detected in India and South African are known as Delta and Beta variants respectively.
According the study, the Alpha variant from the UK dominated the country in January this year and the Beta variant in March.
BSMMU vice chancellor Sharfuddin Ahmed said the Delta variant is highly contagious. All must get vaccinated for protection. As vaccine reduces complexities related to Covid-19, rate of deaths will drop. However, wearing masks is must for protection, he added.
BSMMU’s professor of genetics and molecular biology and chairman of anatomy department Laila Anjuman Banu was the lead researcher of the study while chairman of pharmacology Sayedur Rahman and pro vice chancellor (academic) AKM Mosharraf Hossain were the co-researchers.
The study was conducted by 14 researchers.