Islamabad Pakistan January 5, ANI Pakistan Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Wednesday said that the Omicron variant of COVID 19 is increasing at a fast pace in the country.
During a press conference, NCOC Asad Umar urged the public to take precautionary measures and get the vaccine done. He was joined by Special Assistant to Prime Minister SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan at the presser.
As a result of the emergence of Omicron cases and the rise in Omicron cases, the masses should avoid crowded places and adopt other precautionary measures. Asad Umar said, The positivity ratio has reached 8.1 after the emergence of Omicron cases and those living in urban centres will be hurt the most. He 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 less impact on the Omicron wave, according to ARY News. He pointed out that the Omicron strain is more prevalent in Karachi and Lahore as 60 per cent of Omicron cases are reported from there.
A 940 per cent increase in cases was seen in Karachi during the last 2 weeks, according to Asad Umar. After the emergence of the Omicron variant, Umar warned of the beginning of a wave of COVID 19 in the country.
He took to his official Twitter handle and stated that genome sequencing has shown a rising proportion of Omicron, particularly in Karachi Notably, Sindh Government on January 2 said that Omicron cases have reached up to 50% in the province especially in Karachi. The data collected by the provincial authorities shows that Pakistan is in the grip of the Omicron variant.
A total of 351 samples of Covid 19 positive cases were collected and analysed and the data is worrisome as 175 of these samples were of the Omicron variant, the provincial health authorities confirmed.