Chinese traveller tests positive for omicron subvariant in Bangladesh

Four Chinese nationals are staying at an isolation centre following their arrival on Dec 26

One of the four Chinese air travellers who arrived in Bangladesh five days ago has tested positive for the BF.7 subvariant of the COVID-19's omicron strain.

The subvariant was discovered in a “genome sequence report” on the Chinese national, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

The four travellers are currently staying at an isolation centre in Dhaka’s Mohakhali, IEDCR Director Dr Tahmina Shirin said on Sunday.

They arrived in Dhaka on a flight with 105 passengers on Dec 26. But they were moved to an isolation centre after an antigen test.

All four of them arrived in Bangladesh with a COVID-negative certificate after an RT-PCR test.