The federal capital reported its maiden case of Omicron variant of coronavirus on Saturday, according to a health official.
According to reports, Islamabad District Health Officer (DHO) Zaeem Zia said the case was detected in a 47-year-old male, adding that he was working in Islamabad and had travelled out of city for work-related purposes. The patient had no history of travelling abroad, he said. The patient is reportedly in good health and has only minor symptoms.
Zia said the variant was confirmed as Omicron following its gene-sequencing, adding that 10 contacts of the patient were traced and subsequently isolated/quarantined. “Amid the looming threat of Omicron variant, our health teams are prepared to respond as they did in previous waves/variants diligently,” he said.
The DHO urged people to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures, get vaccinated and get booster shots if eligible.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat also confirmed the development, adding that the patient had earlier travelled to Karachi.
On Tuesday, 12 suspected cases of coronavirus’ Omicron variant were reported in Balochistan. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad for confirmation of the variant’s presence after gene-sequencing. Pakistan reported its first suspected case of Omicron variant on December 8. Following its gene-sequencing, Aga Khan University Hospital confirmed it as the new variant on December 13.
In a statement, the hospital had said the patient was at home and doing well. So far, no other patients at the hospital had been confirmed to have Omicron variant, it had added.
According to reports, health officials on December 18 said another case of the variant had emerged in a 35-year-old man in Karachi who had arrived from the United Kingdom on December 8. “His genome sequencing report stating that the infection appeared to be of Omicron has been sent to the National Institute of Health for further confirmation,” an official had said on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, seven deaths occurred and 353 people tested positive for coronavirus during the last 24 hours in the country. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) tally of positive cases has surged to 1,293,081. The positivity ratio stands at 0.73 per cent.
