PESHAWAR: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has confirmed that so far 75 cases of the highly continuous new variant of Covid-19, Omicron, has been reported in Pakistan.
The NIH said that out of 75 cases, 33 cases were reported from Karachi, 13 from Lahore and 17 from Islamabad, while 12 cases were related to international travelers. The NIH had confirmed the first case of Omicron in Pakistan was on December 13 in Karachi.
Read more:
Karachi reports second case of Omicron variant
NIH confirms first case of Omicron variant
Balochistan reports 32 suspected Omicron cases
The agency also said that patients with Omicron have been isolated and those in contact with them are being tested to prevent the virus from spreading. According to a press release, since the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 26 declared Omicon a threat, the Ministry of Health, the NCOC, the National Institutes of Health and health agencies at the provincial level have been focusing on it.
According to the press release, vaccination against the virus and strictly adherence to the SOPs is the only effective defense against Omicron. “Despite the changing nature of the virus, vaccination and adherence to SOPs provide us with effective defense against it,” the NIH said. Adding that the government-approved vaccines are available nationwide that are effective in protecting against the disease. The government has urged people to take both doses of the vaccine while booster doses should also be given according to the eligibility criteria.
The Minister of health officials said that the rise in Omicron cases show that more cases will be reported across the country in the next few weeks. The officials claimed that 3,000 to 4,000 new cases of the variant may be reported daily in mid-February, next year. Authorities say vaccination and strict adherence to the Covid-19 SOPs is the only the defense against the virus.