ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar on Monday asserted that new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, wreaking havoc across the world will inevitably come to Pakistan while urging the people to get vaccinated at earliest.
In a press conference, the Planning Minister, flanked by Prime Minister’s Health Adviser Dr Faisal Sultan, said logical solution to thwart the new variant was full vaccination. He urged the citizens to complete their doses in the wake of the “very dangerous” variant.
“This strain has to spread in the whole world as we saw before that when a variant comes, the world is so interconnected that it is impossible to stop it,” the minister pointed out. He said the initial information the government had received was that although Omicron was a “very dangerous” variant, vaccination will be effective against it.
The Planning Minister announced that the government would ramp up testing in high-risk areas and added that the contact tracing system will be reinitiated. “Pakistan had also banned flights from countries that were under the Omicron onslaught,” he added.
Umar said vaccinated individuals will be able to mitigate the effect of the virus, adding that provinces have been urged to step up the inoculation rate. He further stated that Pakistan has two to three weeks to vaccinate its population so that that threat of Omicron could be reduced to the minimum level possible
The minister further said that an announcement regarding booster shots will be made on November 30. Taking over the presser, PM’s health aide Dr Sultan said the majority of people hospitalised or killed in European countries due to the virus had not been fully vaccinated or had delayed their doses.
He said the Omicron variant was a cause of concern because it was spreading at a rapid pace. “This would strain the healthcare system, resulting in a shortage of beds and oxygen,” he added. The premier’s aide further urged the people to practice social distancing among other anti-Covid measures.
