Omicron stalks provincial capital

Covid resurgence prompts review of health measures

LAHORE:

Covid-19 is once again spreading at an alarming rate in Punjab with the number of patients steadily increasing over the past four days.

Punjab health department planning to review measures for countering the new wave of coronavirus.

The most alarming aspect of the new wave of the pandemic is an increase in the number of patients of the Omicron variant of the virus.

At least 70 patients of Omicron have been confirmed in Punjab so far.

In view of the growing threat to the citizens, Punjab government is reviewing measures needed to cope with the situation. The rate of new confirmed patients of coronavirus started increasing during the past week and rose speedily in past four days.

At least 110 coronavirus patients were confirmed in the province on December 31, 130 on January 1 and 172 on January 2.

The number of new cases of the disease rose to 217 on Monday.

As many as 188 of the new cases recorded during the past day were in Lahore.

"We are holding meetings on a daily basis and getting updates about Covid-19 from the districts. The situation has worsened after public gatherings in recent days but at the schools are still closed. We may face more crucial circumstances after the educational institutions reopen," said a senior official of the provincial health department while speaking to The Express Tribune.

He said the main problem was that the people were no following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government to protect them from the virus.

The department's spokesman Sayed Hamad Raza said, "The matter of particular concern is the increasing patients of Omicron with 70 cases already confirmed."

He said the health department was ready for the current situation as it had coped with the the previous coronavirus waves.

"We have the best infrastructure in our hospitals and we will improve the arrangements. Omicron is a big threat in the whole world now.

Read Omicron accounts for 50% cases detected in Sindh

The necessary thing on our part is our arrangements and strategy because of which we are ready to deal with the situation," he said.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said the department was planning to launch special SOPs in view of the situation. Meanwhile, our focus at the moment is on vaccination."

He said there had been 445,546 confirmed coronavirus cases in the province so far, while 429,225 people had recovered from the disease.

"There are 3,251 active cases of coronavirus in Punjab, while one death was reported during last 24 hours. Lahore is the most risky city with 188 fresh patients and 3.8 per cent positive diagnostic test results.

The pandemic has claimed 13,071 lives in Punjab during last two years.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) on December 28 confirmed 75 cases of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 across the country, a week after the first case was reported in Karachi.

“Since [the] WHO [World Health Organisation] designated Omicron as a Variant of Concern on November 26, 2021, the Ministry of NHSRC [National Health Systems Resource Centre], NCOC, NIH [National Institute of Health] and the provincial health departments have remained vigilant to detect the variant in Pakistan,” read an official statement.

“The first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was reported on December 13 in Karachi.

As of December 27, 2021, a total of 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed – 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore,” it added. The NIH further said 12 of these cases were associated with international travel.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2022.