ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the national pandemic response body, the NCOC, said on Monday it was “impossible” for Pakistan to block the Omicron coronavirus variant from entering the country and the only protection against it was to increase vaccinations.
The detection of Omicron has triggered global alarm as governments around the world scrambled to impose new travel curbs and financial markets sold-off, fearing the variant could resist vaccinations and upend a nascent economic reopening after a two-year global pandemic.
In its statement, the WHO said it was working with technical experts to understand the potential impact of the variant on existing countermeasures against COVID-19, including vaccines.
Addressing a press conference alongside Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, Umar stressed the need for citizens to get vaccinated, saying the government would take new measures to protect against the Omicron variant. These include increased testing in high risk areas, and the launch of a booster shot program for high-risk segments of the population such as the elderly and the immunocompromised.
On Saturday, Pakistan banned travel from six South African countries and Hong Kong following the emergence of the new coronavirus variant.
“We can take measures to delay the entry into Pakistan of this variant, we can reduce its numbers, but it will spread all around the world,” Umar said. “As we saw before, once a new variant comes, the world is so interconnected, there is so much travel, that it is impossible to stop it. So what is the solution, what is in our hands? The answer is vaccination.”
“This is a very dangerous variant but vaccination will still be effective against it,” the minister said. "So it is my appeal to Pakistanis, particularly those who've gotten one dose, to get the second dose.”
"This variant will come to Pakistan, and we have the next 2-3 weeks to reduce its threat,” Umar added.
The Omicron variant spread around the world last week, with new cases found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restrictions to try to seal themselves off.
WHO has said it was not yet clear whether Omicron, first detected in Southern Africa, is more transmissible than other variants, or if it causes more severe disease.
‘Impossible’ to stop Omicron variant from entering Pakistan – planning minister
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‘Impossible’ to stop Omicron variant from entering Pakistan – planning minister
- Pakistan to increase testing in high risk areas, launch booster shot program for high-risk segments of population
- Detection of Omicron has triggered global alarm as governments world over scrambled to impose new travel curbs
Pakistan stock market sheds over 2,000 points amid regional tensions
- KSE-100 index lost 2,025.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 182,384.14
- The development comes amid public unrest in Iran, possibility of a US strike
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) fell sharply and lost more than 2,000 points during the intraday trade on Monday, with analysts blaming the slump on geopolitical uncertainty linked to heightened tensions in the region.
The benchmark KSE-100 index lost 2,025.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 182,384.14 points, down from 184,409.67 points at the weekend close, according to PSX data.
The development came amid public unrest in Iran over worsening economic conditions, with the death toll reaching nearly 550 and the government arresting more than 10,600 people in a crackdown.
US President Donald Trump said late Sunday his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran but cautioned he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues arrests.
“[Pakistan] stocks slumped on geopolitical uncertainty,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News. “Weak global equities, political noise, and security unrest played a catalyst role in selling activity at PSX.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani market research firm Topline Securities said activity slowed noticeably as buying interest from local funds eased after last week’s strong rally.
“With the market having advanced nearly 3 percent on a WoW (week on week) basis, investors chose to lock in gains, resulting in broad-based profit-taking during the session,” it said on X.
“The pullback appears to be a healthy consolidation after the recent sharp up-move, rather than a shift in the market’s underlying sentiment.”
It said that a total of 1,055 million shares were traded at the market on Monday, with Fauji Foods Limited (FFL) topping the volume chart with 65.6 million shares.
Pakistan’s stock market has gained momentum in recent months as broad institutional buying boosted investor confidence amid ongoing economic reforms under international lending programs.
Around 135,000 new investors have joined the PSX over the last 18 months. Last week, Pakistani stocks climbed to a fresh all-time high with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the 186,000-point mark for the first time ever.
