PM Shehbaz orders immediate restoration of NCOC

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered on Tuesday the immediate restoration of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a day after Pakistan detected its first case of the Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1.

Th decision was announced by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Twitter, which also said the PM has sought a report from the National Institute of Health (NIH) over the current Covid-19 situation.

On Monday, the National Institute of Health Pakistan (NIH), which took over from the NCOC on March 31, announced that the country had detected its first case of the new sub-variant in a traveller who had returned from Qatar.

Pakistan detects first case of new Omicron sub-variant

According to the Ministry of National Health Services and Regulations, this sub-variant is seen in the recent spike in cases in the US.

“The disease severity and hospitalization remain the same as Omicron but data is limited as of now," the ministry said.

Pakistan has reported 31 new Covid-19 cases after 10,869 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours.

The country reported no new deaths, while there are 103 patients critically ill.