PESHAWAR: The province Health Department has raised the number of workers positioned at the Torkham border and Bacha Khan International Airport in response to an increase in Omicron cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and an isolation ward at Landi Kotal hospital has been reactivated.
According to an official from the Directorate of Public Health, Naik Dad Afridi, the Covid-19 positive ratio in Peshawar has been registered at 3%, while the total number of Omicron cases has risen to 64.
“The Omicron variant arrived in Pakistan with overseas travellers, and as a result, the number of health personnel stationed at Peshawar Airport and the Torkham crossing has been doubled,” he said, adding that an isolation ward at Landi Kotal had been reactivated for those crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
“People arriving from Afghanistan are being screened and vaccinated in full swing, and only those who have been vaccinated are permitted into Pakistan,” he said.
All those coming from Afghanistan are given a single injection vaccine, and those who test positive for Covid are not allowed to enter Pakistan, according to Afridi.
According to him, the National Control and Operation Center (NCOC) has eased the quarantine rules for international passengers, allowing them to isolate at home.
“Last week, 12 new cases of Omicron were discovered in the province, six of which were reported from Peshawar, two from Mardan, and one each from Khyber, Malakand, Nowshera, and Haripur districts,” he said, adding that five of the patients were men and seven were women.
The total number of patients in the province has now risen to 64, with the bulk hailing from the Peshawar area.
“The Omicron variation spreads quickly compared to the other variants, but the death ratio is really low,” he explained.
“Omicron spread must be controlled, which is why the health service is concentrating its efforts on immunisation,” he continued.
It is worth noting that, in terms of the positive ratio, Peshawar district is the fourth most afflicted district in the country from Covid-19.
In its study, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) recognised 14 districts across the country with the greatest positive ratio. Abbotabad and Swat are also high-risk districts in K-P.
