K-P reports its first case of Omicron amid fears of fifth Covid wave

Health Minister Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Taimur Khan Jhagra has confirmed the first reported case of Omicron variant of coronavirus in the province.

"Our public health reference lab has detected the first cases of Omicron in Pakhtunkhwa. As expected, this was only a matter of time," Taimur wrote on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday.

He said that the hospital system in the province coped with four surges and it will be ready for the next wave. "Our best defence is to vaccinate as per NCOC guidelines," he added.

According to a spokesperson of the health department, the case emerged from Mansehra and the Covid-infected person, a resident of Rawalpindi in Punjab, has been quarantined while the area has been sealed.

Read more: 75 cases of Omicron variant confirmed in Pakistan

"Additional teams have been assigned for contact tracing in the area whereas teams have been formed to further increase the vaccination rate in Mansehra," the spokesperson added.

He said that the department is prepared to tackle the next wave of coronavirus, adding that vaccination is the only solution to defeat the Omicron variant.

Earlier today, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar urged the people to get vaccinated against coronavirus, saying the Omicron variant is spreading at a rapid pace in Pakistan, especially Karachi and Lahore.

Addressing a press conference, flanked by PM’s health aide Dr Faisal Sultan, the planning minister said people should take precautions in the wake of its spread.

"Wearing masks and compliance with SOPs are important but the most important protection against the virus is vaccination," he added.

Also read: Omicron accounts for 50% cases detected in Sindh

According to Umar, the Covid-19 vaccines play a major role against the virus. He said the rate of hospitalisation in the UK and US was lower than in South Africa – where the variant first emerged in November – because of the higher vaccination rate.

In South Africa, within a few weeks, the cases rose from 116 to 25,000, Umar said, adding that along with a 3,500 per cent increase in infections, the hospitalisation rate jumped to 700%.

In the US, there was a 400 per cent increase in the cases while the hospitalisation rate increased only to 92%. Similarly, in the UK, there was a 134 per cent increase in the hospitalisation rate, whereas the infection rate jumped to 300%.

The lower rate of hospitalisation in the US and the UK pointed towards the efficacy of vaccines against the deadly variant.

In Pakistan, the positivity rate rose from 0.7 to 1.8% in mere two weeks, he said, adding that after the emergence of Omicron, cases increased threefold.