As the country braces for the fifth wave of coronavirus and the rise in Omicron cases, Pakistan on Monday reported 708 Covid cases—the highest since October.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), some 45,643 tests were conducted across the country during the last 24 hours.
Out of them, 708 samples returned positive while two fatalities were also recorded during the same span. The country’s test-to-positivity ratio, however, stayed at 1.55 per cent.
Statistics 3 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 45,643
Positive Cases: 708
Positivity %: 1.55%
Deaths :2
Patients on Critical Care: 642— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 3, 2022
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday decided to increase stringent measures to ensure mandatory vaccination due to increasing number of Omicron variant during the fifth wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
The NCOC meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar and co-chaired by National Coordinator Major General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal took stock of evolving pandemic situation, the national vaccination campaign and the spread of the disease.
The forum said the fifth wave of Omicron variant of coronavirus was spreading rapidly in the country. In the last three days, Karachi’s positive rate has jumped from two to six percent, the forum added. The forum urged the masses to use face masks to avoid contracting the new variant and ensure social distancing at the outdoors to minimize disease spread.
It also reviewed the progress of district-wise vaccination campaign being run across the country. The forum reviewed district-wise vaccination targets and directed the province to achieve their set vaccination targets at the earliest to curtail spread of the disease.
The gradual rebound in the infection tally following the discovery of Omicron variant has fueled the fear that another Covid-19 wave could hit the country, particularly after the virus had seemed to wane.
Only yesterday, Asad had also warned that a new wave of the pandemic virus was evident in the country. He said genome sequencing is showing a rising proportion of Omicron variant cases, particularly in Karachi.
Read more: Asad Umar says new Covid-19 wave in country on the horizon
World Health Organsiation (WHO) had also warned ahead of 2022 of a Covid ‘tsunami’ after a surge in the global infection toll due to the Omicron variant.
“I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had expressed his fear.
The first case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in Pakistan was reported in Karachi on December 13. More than 75 cases of the new variant have so far surfaced across the country with Karachi leading, followed by Islamabad and Lahore.
Read more: WHO warns of Covid ‘tsunami’ as Omicron fuels record surges
As of December 30, 2021, Pakistan’s 30 per cent total population and 46 per cent of the eligible population stand vaccinated.
NCOC has urged the citizens to get immunised against the pandemic virus and implement prescribed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in wake of the rising Omicron threat.
