PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that Omicron variant of Coronavirus is spreading fast in Pakistan as the rate of positive cases reached 1.8% since January 1.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Umar said that the people should know that omicron is more fatal than Covid-19. He urged the public to get vaccinated as it is the only effective cure against the virus. “There is clear evidence that a new wave of coronavirus variant is spreading fast in Pakistan as the positive ratio has increased from 0.7 to 1.8%,” the minister warned.
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The Federal Minister said that people living in major cities and densely populated areas are at the high risk from the virus. Referring to the statistics of the last seven days, he said that 60% of the corona-virus cases have been reported from Lahore and Karachi. He directed that the vaccine should administered immediately and those who has taken both the doses should get booster shots.
He said that in the last two weeks, there has been an increase of 166% in in Sindh but even more worrying fact is that during the same period, Omicron cases increased by 940% in Karachi. “In the last ten to twelve days, the number of cases of Omicron has increased by 190% in Punjab,” said the minister.
Citing the example of South Africa, he said that in the last four weeks, there has been a 3500 per cent increase in cases of Omicron and an increase of 700 per cent in hospital admissions. “Evidence from various countries indicates that the risk is lower in countries with more high vaccination ratio,” the minister said.