ISLAMABAD: The first case of Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in the federal capital, confirmed a top health official on Saturday.
In a tweet, the district health officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said that the case was detected in a 47-year-old male, adding that he was working in Islamabad and had travelled to Karachi for work-related purposes. “The patient had no history of travelling abroad”, he added.
He said the variant was confirmed as Omicron following its gene-sequencing, adding that 10 contacts of the patient were traced and subsequently isolated/ quarantined.
“Amid the looming threats of Omicron variant, our health teams are prepared to respond as they did in previous waves/ variants, diligently,” he added.
The DHO urged people to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), get them vaccinated and get booster shots if eligible.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat also confirmed the development, saying the patient had a travel history from Karachi.
Balochistan reports at least 12 suspected Omicron cases
On Tuesday, 12 suspected cases of coronavirus’ Omicron variant were reported in Balochistan. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH in Islamabad for confirmation of the variant’s presence after gene-sequencing.
Pakistan reported its first suspected case of the Omicron variant on December 8. Following its gene-sequencing, Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi confirmed it as the new variant on Dec 13.
Last month, Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had sounded the alarm, saying that the arrival of the Omicron variant was inevitable and a matter of time. “This [strain] has to spread in the whole world as we saw before that when a variant comes, the world is so interconnected that it is impossible to stop it,” Umar had said, adding that vaccination was the most logical solution to curb the threat.
Pakistan had placed a complete ban on November 27 on travel from six South African countries — South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Botswana and Namibia — and Hong Kong in the wake of the variant’s discovery.This travel ban was later extended to nine more countries — Croatia, Hungary, Netherlands, Ukraine, Ireland, Slovenia, Vietnam, Poland and Zimbabwe.
Besides, the National Command and Operating Centre (NCOC) has placed 13 countries comprising United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Trinidad and Tobago, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Russia, Thailand, France, Austria, Afghanistan and Turkey in category B.
The Omicron variant of coronavirus has been classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a highly transmissible variant — the same category that includes the predominant Delta variant.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021