The discovery of Omicron, a new version of the coronavirus pandemic, in South Africa has sent shockwaves throughout the world, and no one can stop Omicron from entering Pakistan, says Faisal Sultan.
Asad Umar, the chairman of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), warned on Monday that the new strain is deadlier than prior types and that everyone must play a role in halting its spread.
At a news briefing in Islamabad, Asad stated that 50 million Pakistanis have been fully vaccinated against the virus, with the remaining 30 million receiving only one dosage.
He said the number of cases of the pandemic had been dropping in the country for the last few weeks. “We have decided to increase testing in high-risk areas,” he informed.
NCOC head said that the Center was in touch with the provincial governments in order to deal with the new variant. “Beware, Omicron is spreading in the world fast,” he said.
He also stated that the booster vaccine consultations would be completed tomorrow (Tuesday, November 30).
Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, who was seated next to Asad, said it would be nearly hard to prevent the new type from entering Pakistan. “The only way to keep oneself safe from the Omicron is to get fully vaccinated,” he asserted.
He was, however, satisfied that the government’s efforts to stop the pandemic from spreading further had shown results.
Omicron is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has spread to become the predominant variant in circulation around the world.
