ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani health ministry on Tuesday said that authorities had detected 75 cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus in the country since December 13. 
The omicron strain has higher transmissibility than other variants. It emerged in South Africa last month and within a few weeks of its discovery spread across nearly 90 countries in the world. 
Pakistan has already tightened up travel restrictions from some countries to counter the threat of the new strain. 
“As of 27 December 2021, a total of 75 omicron cases have been confirmed; 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore. 12 of these cases were associated with international travel,” the Pakistani health ministry said in a statement, adding the first case of the strain was reported in Karachi on 13 December. 
Authorities have isolated the patients and initiated contract tracing to control the spread of the variant. 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to boost health care capacity and vaccinate people to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron strain. 
The Pakistani health ministry said that vaccination and precautionary measures were the best defense against COVID-19, despite the mutations. 
“All government approved COVID-19 vaccines available in Pakistan remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization,” it said. “The government urges everyone to get both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as the booster dose as per the eligibility criteria and process.” 
Pakistan has so far vaccinated more than 150 million people with its most populous Punjab province leading the way by inoculating 68 percent of its eligible population, the Pakistani planning minister said on Monday. 
A total of 92,086,806 people have received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccines, while 65,149,948 individuals have been fully inoculated in the country, according to official figures. 
The number of coronavirus cases has been declining in the South Asian nation. The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), which is responsible for developing and coordinating Pakistan’s pandemic response, on Tuesday said the country reported three fatalities and 291 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.