Bangladesh has detected its first case of a highly infectious coronavirus variant first identified in India, the country's health directorate said, weeks after it sealed its borders with its neighbour, Reuters reported.

Six cases of the Indian variant had been detected in Bangladesh, Nasima Sultana, additional director general of the health directorate, told reporters.

"Two cases are confirmed to be of the Indian variant, and the others are quite close to it,” Sultana said, adding that they all recently returned from neighbouring India and were in isolation.

The variant, named B.1.617, has reached at least 17 countries, from Britain and Iran to Switzerland, sparking global concern.