Omicron cases on the rise in Pakistan, government advises caution

Pakistan may have a trouble at hand as the country is witnessing surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant. Major cities are increasingly reporting hundreds of cases of the new variant..

Omicron variant was first detected in Pakistan on December 13 in Karachi. Till yesterday, Lahore had 170 cases of Omicron and Islamabad has 141. Children under the age of fourteen have also got infected with the virus.

Lahore and Karachi have accounted for 60 per cent of the cases found in Pakistan in last 7 days.

On Wednesday, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar expressed worry. He said that Omicron cases were increasing at a "fast pace" in the country. He was speaking at a press conference

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. 

(With inputs from agencies)