Pakistan: Sindh plans Pfizer booster shots amid Omicron threat

Amid the global concern of the new COVID variant omicron, Pakistan's Sindh province has decided to inoculate all people with a booster shot of Pfizer.

"The decision has been taken but the department is yet to make required arrangements for this purpose and announce a date for its launch," Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported citing a health official.

The booster jab would be offered to people who were already vaccinated with any of the Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm, Sinovac and Cansino, he added.

Earlier, the federal government placed a complete ban on travel from seven countries in the wake of the discovery of a new heavily mutated variant of coronavirus that has recently been reported in South Africa.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified the new South African strain of the coronavirus, Omicron, as one of concern, since it may be more transmissible and dangerous.

Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology, the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) has advised the WHO that this variant should be designated as a VOC, and the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a VOC, named Omicron, a statement said.

The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus.Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands were among those that joined the United Kingdom in restricting flights from southern Africa.

( With inputs from ANI )

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