President Dr Arif Alvi said on Thursday that he has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, calling on citizens to follow precautionary measures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) as the number of cases surges in the country.

"I have tested positive for Covid-19 again. Had a sore throat for four to five days and was getting better. Felt mildly feverish for a few hours two nights ago. No other symptoms," he said in a Twitter post.

"Friends, please resume precautions and follow SOPs," he said.

Pakistan reported 1,085 coronavirus cases on January 5, the highest since October last year while the positivity ratio also increased to 2.32%.

During the last 24 hours, the country conducted 46,585 tests.

Currently, there are 13,046 active Covid-19 cases and 636 critical cases. Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistan has confirmed 1,299,848 Covid-19 cases.

On Wednesday, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said that the Omicron variant will spread rapidly in Pakistan, saying that citizens should not have the misconception that it will not affect them.