Third quarantine centre on the cards

The Rawalpindi District Health Authority continues to remain vigilant in its attempts to monitor and prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus by deploying relevant inspection teams at the Islamabad International Airport and contemplating the establishment of a third quarantine centre in the city.

Bolstered by the ‘Good District’ status granted to the region for its active Covid-19 vaccination campaign in 2021, the District Health Authority was already at work on the first day of the New Year as they sent 11 samples that tested positive for the virus to the National Institute of Health (NIH) to rule out the possibility of the presence of Omicron variant in the samples.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ehsan Ghani has said that no effort was spared to ensure the vaccination of citizens against the pandemic last year through dedicated awareness campaigns, with added emphasis on the implementation of coronavirus SOPs.

Against a target of inoculating 4.2 million citizens, 60% of the population was administered two doses of WHO-approved vaccines and 76% was given single doses in 2021.

The establishment of a third quarantine centre at the Women's University, Sixth Road is also under consideration.

Dr Ghani went on to say that 31 samples were collected with the assistance of Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, of which 11 returned positive and were then dispatched to NIH for further assessment to rule out the presence of Omicron or Delta variants of the virus.

To stave off the possibility of a fifth coronavirus wave and the potential danger posed by the Omicron variant in Rawalpindi district, the DHO said that wearing a face mask was still crucial, adding that citizens must continue avoiding crowded places.

He requested the public to complete their vaccination doses, and those who are done with two doses must get booster shots as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2022.