Pakistan may face fifth Covid wave in February amid Omicron threat – Pakistan Observer

ISLAMABAD – The fifth wave of Covid-19 may hit Pakistan in the mid-February 2022 as cases of Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, have started surfacing in major cities of the country.

An health official told a publication that community transmission of Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 has started in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, expressing fear that Covid-19 cases will witness surge in coming couple of weeks.

The National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) official said that Pakistan may experience the fifth wave of COVID-19 in the middle of February, with daily cases rising to 3,000 to 4,000.

A day earlier, the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed that the number of cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant has reached 75 so far.

Since WHO designated Omicron as a Variant of Concern on 26 November 2021, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC), the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the provincial departments have remained vigilant to detect the variant in Pakistan, the NIH said in a statement.

“The first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was reported on December 13 in Karachi,” it said.

“As of December 27, a total of 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed; 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore,” the statement said, adding: “12 cases were associated with international travel,” read the statement.

“Vaccination and SOPs continue to be our best defence against Covid-19 despite the mutations being reported,” it added.

“All government approved Covid-19 vaccines available in Pakistan remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation. The government urges everyone to get both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as well as the booster dose as per the eligibility criteria and process,” the statement said.

Pakistan confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant on December 13 after gene-sequencing of a suspected patient at Aga Khan University Hospital.

Read more: https://pakobserver.net/first-case-of-omicron-detected-in-islamabad/

Read More