KARACHI: Asad Umar recently said that the latest COVID-19's Variant Of Concern (VOC), Omicron, would inevitably come to Pakistan, and Pakistan had only a few weeks to hold its threat.
Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health, urged citizens to get vaccinated and complete their doses while addressing a press conference.
Asad Umar, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives said the world was so interconnected that it would become impossible to stop it as the variant had been quickly spreading. The minister added that vaccination was the most logical solution to tackle the threat.
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According to the latest information, although Omicron was a "very dangerous" variant, vaccination would be effective against it, Asad Umar said.
He said there was an urgent need to speed up vaccination campaigns in provinces as this variant would come to Pakistan, and we had the next 2-3 weeks to reduce its threat.
Keeping in sight of Omicron's increased risk of transmission and re-infection, the Sindh health department had also decided to inoculate all residents and medical officers with a Pfizer's booster shot.
To delay the variant's entry into the country, Umar said, restrictions had been placed on travellers coming from abroad and would take further measures.
Earlier, Pakistan had placed a complete ban on travel from Hong Kong and six South African countries, i.e., South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Botswana, in the wake of the variant's discovery.