ISLAMABAD: With 85 per cent of local transmission, Pakistan recently announced around 79 confirmed cases of Omicron across the country.
Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19, has spread in over 100 countries in a brief period. In Pakistan, the first case of Omicron was reported in Karachi on December 13.
National Institute of Health (NIH) issued the statement which said that since the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Omicron as a Variant Of Concern (VOC) on November 26. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Health Services, NIH, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), and provincial health departments stayed alert to detect the new variant in Pakistan.
It then stated that the first case of Omicron was reported on December 13 in Karachi, and as of December 27, 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed. i.e., 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore. Among the cases, 12 were associated with international travel. The concerned authorities have isolated the patients and initiated contact tracing to control the spread of the variant,” it stated.
Dr Javed Akram, a member of the National Scientific Task Force on COVID-19, said that the government should tighten restrictions and limit indoor events such as weddings to curb Omicron.
