Government is “prepared” to fight the Covid variant

ISLAMABAD: Health authorities in Pakistan asserted on Monday that they were completely prepared to handle any sub-variant of the Omicron version of Covid-19, including BF.7, in their nation, despite new coronavirus variants spreading quickly in other areas of the world, including neighbours India and China.

An effective system with a proper management team was fully operational in the nation to maintain vigilance and be prepared to formulate an emergency plan in case of any unfavourable event, according to official sources at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination

They claimed that all four provincial labs and the federal capital had begun genome sequencing. They continued by saying that since 90% of the populace had received the Covid-19 vaccination, they were all safe.

They said that specific instructions had been given to guarantee that hospitals had an appropriate supply of ventilators, oxygen, and antiviral medications.

In the meantime, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed that 14 new coronavirus cases have been detected in the last day across the nation. Despite the fact that 18 patients were in critical condition, the case positivity ratio is 0.53 percent.

No death was reported from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours while 3,394 tests were conducted. Around 151 tests were conducted in Islamabad, 824 in Lahore, and 55 in Multan. As many as four confirmed cases with a 0.49% case positivity ratio were reported from Lahore, one case with a 0.66% case positivity ratio was reported from Islamabad and one case with a 1.82 % case positivity ratio was reported from Multan.

Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel appreciated the efforts of all stakeholders, healthcare staff, vaccination teams, and administration working across Pakistan despite multiple challenges. He advised all provinces and regions to administer booster doses to further improve protection against Covid-19 transmission.

He said that in view of the global pandemic situation, the Central Health Establishment (CHE) will be strengthened to enhance its functionality. The minister emphasized the importance of precautions, including social distancing and mask-wearing, especially in crowded places. He also highlighted the need to strictly follow the guidelines for the management of markets.

It is pertinent to note that even though the NCOC claimed that the situation was being closely monitored, there have been no measures at airports, such as rapid testing and screening of inbound travellers, to detect positive cases of Covid-19. Experts believe that NCOC should issue fresh guidelines and issue a position statement. They said the virus can enter the country anytime, adding that people would prefer to travel following the new guidelines.

The coronavirus strain spreading in China is a sub-variant of the highly infectious Omicron variant: BF.7 or BA.5.2.1.7, CBS News reported. The country this month started to dismantle its “zero-Covid” regime of lockdowns and testing that had largely kept the virus away for three years.