The government is “prepared” to fight the COVID variant.
According to information that was made available by the NIH, 14 additional cases of coronavirus were recorded over the previous 24 hours.
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 said that every point of entry into the nation, including airports, was under monitoring. They also mentioned that hospital critical care units (ICU) staff members were on the alert and prepared to tackle any situation.
Read: COVID cases in Zhejiang, China, are predicted to quadruple to 1 million daily instances.
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.
In the past 24 hours, 3,394 tests were carried out, but no deaths related to COVID-19 were reported. There were roughly 151 tests performed in Islamabad, 824 tests in Lahore, and 55 tests in Multan.
Lahore reported four confirmed cases with a case positivity ratio of 0.49%, Islamabad reported one case with a case positivity ratio of 0.66%, and Multan reported one case with a case positivity ratio of 1.82%.
Abdul Qadir Patel, the Minister for National Health Services, praised the administration, medical professionals, vaccination teams, and other participants for their efforts in Pakistan despite several obstacles.
He recommended giving booster doses to all provinces and areas in order to further strengthen defences against the spread of Covid-19.
He declared that the Central Health Establishment (CHE) would be upgraded to improve its performance in light of the current worldwide pandemic crisis.
The minister underlined the need for safeguards, particularly in crowded areas, to include social isolation and mask use. He also emphasised how important it is to adhere completely to the rules set forth for market management.
Although the NCOC insisted that the situation was being closely watched, it is important to highlight that there have been no procedures taken at airports, such as quick testing and screening of incoming travellers, to find positive cases of Covid-19.
According to experts, NCOC ought to publish new policies as well as a position statement. They claimed that the virus may enter the nation at any time and said that people would prefer to travel in accordance with the new regulations.
According to CBS News, the coronavirus strain that is circulating in China is a subvariant of the extremely contagious Omicron variant, BF.7 or BA.5.2.1.7.
This month, the nation began removing its “zero-Covid” system of lockdowns and testing, which had mainly held the virus at bay for three years.
