Delta may not be the last Covid-19 variant: Qadri

Emeritus scientist at icddr,b Dr Firdausi Qadri has said Delta may not be the last variant during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“It is too early to say, but I do not think Delta will be the last,” she told a virtual roundtable hosted by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation on Friday on the occasion of her receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2021.

She said the severity of the pandemic would rise and fall intermittently, and the authorities needed to be prepared for that.

On August 31, she was announced as a Ramon Magsaysay awardee. She is now one of the 12 Bangladeshis who have received the prestigious accolade.

She said the Delta variant had struck just when the public, including scientists, were almost convinced that people in this region were somehow better protected against coronavirus.

This virus can dodge the immune system and may become resistant to vaccines, she warned.

She said vaccinating more people would help fight against Covid-19 more efficiently. But she added that no vaccine gives 100 per cent protection against any disease.

Vaccines are developed over decades and even centuries, she added.

She believes Covid-19 will take years to be brought under control.

The scientist said infection rates had decreased worldwide after an upsurge, mentioning antibodies as one of the reasons.

Referring to a survey conducted on samples collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, she said about 60 to 70 per cent of the people of Bangladesh had grown antibodies against Covid-19.

She advised everyone to wash their hands regularly, wear masks, and maintain social distance to prevent Covid-19 infections.

When asked why Covid-19 fatalities and infections were lower in densely-populated Bangladesh compared to other countries, she replied vaccinations had played a role in protecting a portion of the population in Bangladesh.

She was involved in the successful global efforts of developing an oral cholera vaccine and leading its field studies in Bangladesh.

Describing Bangladesh as a vaccine-friendly country, she said she had gained lots of experience during field trials of vaccines for diseases, such as diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid.

She said all her achievements in life had become true today for the country.

“I wanted to become a scientist to serve Bangladesh,” she said.

In addition to Qadri, Muhammad Amjad Saqib, head of one of Pakistan’s largest microfinance institutions, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his role in alleviating poverty in his home country. Steven Muncy, who worked to rebuild the lives of displaced refugees in Southeast Asia, also received the award this year.