Pakistan Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Wednesday said that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is increasing at a "fast pace" in the country.
During a press conference, Head of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Asad Umar urged the public to take precautionary measures and get the vaccination done. Joining him at the presser was Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan.
Asad Umar said, "The masses should avoid crowded places besides also wearing a facemask and adopting other precautionary measures".
He added, "The positivity ratio has reached 8.1 after the emergence of Omicron cases and those living in urban centres will be hurt the most".
Giving examples of the US, UK and South Africa, he spoke of how the surge in the Omicron cases has burdened the hospitals in these countries. He further emphasized the importance of vaccination and said that vaccination can play a significant role in fighting the Omicron wave.
He shared his concern on the Omicron variant and said that vaccination will lead to a lesser impact of the Omicron wave, reported ARY News. He also pointed out that the Omicron strain is more in Karachi and Lahore as 60 per cent of Omicron cases are reported from there.
Asad Umar said that Karachi has seen a 940 per cent increase in cases during the last 2 weeks. Earlier on Sunday, Umar warned of the beginning of another COVID-19 wave in the country amid rising cases following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
He took to his official Twitter handle and stated that genome sequencing has shown a rising proportion of Omicron, "particularly in Karachi".
Notably, Sindh Government on January 2 said that the Omicron cases have reached up to 50% in the province especially in Karachi. The data collected by the provincial authorities clearly suggests that Pakistan is in the grip of the Omicron variant.
A total of 351 samples of Covid-19 positive cases were collected and analysed and the data is worrisome as 175 of these samples were of Omicron variant, the provincial health authorities confirmed.
Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, discussed the deteriorating health situation in Sindh with the health authorities. They apprised the Chief Minister of the rise in the cases of new variant and confirmed that the situation is challenging and worsening day by the day, reported Geo News.
( With inputs from ANI )
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