In a bold initiative to ensure medical compliance and public safety, Health Minister Dr Samanta Lal Sen has directed immediate closure of all unregistered hospitals, diagnostic centers, and clinics. Addressing the media at the Secretariat, the minister emphasized the urgency of this action, citing both the need for medical safety and the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Dr Sen, taking a personal tone, revealed, “I myself have been a victim of an unlicensed hospital. Therefore, I will not tolerate such negligence.” His stern message was clear: unauthorized medical facilities must voluntarily cease operations or face severe consequences from the health ministry. This directive aligns with his previously declared position against corruption and malpractice in the healthcare sector. Addressing Ayan’s tragic death Highlighting the severity of consequences, the health minister discussed the heart-wrenching case of child Ayan’s death. “The incident of Ayan’s death is deeply tragic. We are awaiting the investigating committee’s report, and rest assured, appropriate actions will follow,” Dr Sen assured. Read more: 2 more dengue patients die; 38 hospitalised in 24hrs Earlier in the day, Ayan’s father, Shamim Ahmed, accompanied by family members, met with Minister Sen at the Secretariat. They presented a detailed account of the events leading to Ayan’s untimely demise, alongside a call for a thorough and fair investigation into his death. Dr Ahmedul Kabir, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), affirmed that the crackdown on unregistered entities is imminent. “It’s mandatory for all, including United Health Service, to be duly licensed. We have a considerable number of registered facilities, but being large-scale doesn’t exempt anyone from compliance,” he stated. Rising COVID-19 Concerns and Preventive Measures In the wake of identifying new COVID-19 variants and increasing infections in countries including India, the health minister expressed his deep concern. He urged high-risk groups to minimize public gatherings and called for universal mask usage. In a significant public health initiative, the government plans to administer the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 1.25 crore people this year, with a long-term goal of reaching 2.5 crore people over two years. Read more: Bangladesh reports 36 more Covid-19 cases in 24hrs

Amid the growing concern over the new ‘Omicron’ variant of coronavirus, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Monday suggested the implementation of 15 instructions to prevent the spread of the new variant. The DGHS issued a notice signed by Prof Nazmul Islam, Director of Disease Control, on Sunday night, putting forward the instructions. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also asked all countries to stay alert about the new variant. Also read: Omicron: What we know about the COVID-19 Variant so far The UK and other countries have imposed a travel ban on South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and other countries as the new variant is more contagious than the Delta variant. The DGHS urged all concerned to take measures to enforce those instructions.

Can new variants of the coronavirus keep emerging? Yes, as long as the virus that caused the pandemic keeps infecting people. But that doesn’t mean new variants will keep emerging as regularly, or that they’ll be more dangerous. With more than half the world still not vaccinated, the virus will likely keep finding people to infect and replicating inside them for several months or years to come. And each time a virus makes a copy of itself, a small mutation could occur. Those changes could help the virus survive, becoming new variants. But that doesn’t mean the virus will keep evolving in the same way since it emerged in late 2019. When a virus infects a new species, it needs to adapt to the new host to spread more widely, says Andrew Read, a virus expert at Pennsylvania State University. Read: AstraZeneca, Pfizer vaccines effective against Delta Covid-19 variants: Study According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta variant is twice as contagious as earlier versions of the virus. And while it could still mutate to become more infectious, it probably won’t double its transmission rate again, says Dr. Adam Lauring, a virus and infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan. “We’ve seen a stage of rapid evolution for the virus. It’s been harvesting the low-hanging fruit, but there’s not an infinite number of things it can do,” Lauring says. It’s possible that the virus could become more deadly, but there isn’t an evolutionary reason for that to happen. Extremely sick people are also less likely to socialize and spread the virus to others. Read: WHO: High vaccination rates can help reduce risk of variants Experts are watching to see whether emerging variants could be better at evading the protection people develop from vaccination and infections. As more people get the shots, the virus would have to be able to spread through people who have some immunity for it to survive, says Dr. Joshua Schiffer, a virus expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “The virus could take on a mutation that makes the immune response less effective,” he says. If that happens, scientists may recommend that vaccine formulas be updated periodically, just as annual flu shots are.

Bangladesh, the Philippines, Pakistan and Kenya will be added to England’s red list over 30 countries from April 9, says the UK's Department for Transport on Friday.  From 4am on Friday 9 April, international visitors who have departed from or transited through Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England.  British, Irish and third-country nationals with residence rights (including long-term visa holders) arriving from these countries will be required to self-isolate in a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days. The move follows new data showing an increased risk of importation of variants of concern. Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh will be added to England’s red list to protect the country against new variants of coronavirus (COVID-19), at a critical time for the vaccine programme, said the UK government.  Also read: UK variant hunters lead global race to stay ahead of COVID With over 30 million vaccinations delivered in the UK so far, the additional restrictions will help to reduce the risk of new variants – such as those first identified in South Africa (SA) and Brazil – entering England, said the UK government.  So far, surveillance has found that few cases of the SA variant have been identified as being imported from Europe, with most coming from other parts of the world. Only British and Irish citizens, or those with residence rights in the UK (including long-term visa holders), will be allowed to enter and they must stay in a government-approved quarantine facility for 10 days.  Also read: Bangladesh bans entry of passengers from Europe & 12 countries for two weeks They will also be required to arrive into a designated port.  No direct flight bans from these countries will be put in place, but passengers are advised to check their travel plans before departing for England. During their stay, passengers will be required to take a coronavirus test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8, and they will not be allowed to shorten their quarantine period on receipt of a negative test result.  They will also not be able to end their managed quarantine early through the Test to Release scheme. Also read: COVID-19 not necessarily crossed from animals into humans in Wuhan: WHO expert British nationals currently in the countries on the red list should make use of the commercial options available if they wish to return to England.  Commercial routes that will enable British and Irish nationals and residents to return to England continue to operate. British nationals in these countries should check Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice and follow local guidance. The FCDO will continue to offer tailored consular assistance to British nationals in need of support overseas on a 24/7 basis.

Ten European Union returnees have so far been detected with the new strain of Covid-19 that was first reported in the UK, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Wednesday.

The head of the World Health Organization said Monday the emergence of new COVID-19 variants has raised questions about whether or not existing vaccines will work, calling it “concerning news” that the vaccines developed so far may be less effective against the variant first detected in South Africa.

Evidence is mounting that having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again with some of the new variants. People also can get second infections with earlier versions of the coronavirus if they mounted a weak defense the first time, new research suggests.

How many variants of the coronavirus are there?