ISLAMABAD: Health authorities in Pakistan have detected over five dozen cases of the omicron variant of coronavirus amid a surge in virus infections in the country, local media reported on Saturday.
The omicron strain has higher transmissibility than other variants. It emerged in South Africa in November 2021 and spread across nearly 90 countries within a few weeks of its discovery.
Pakistan has reported more than 500 daily new infections over the last two days, according to official figures. The South Asian nation last month tightened up travel restrictions from some countries to counter the threat of the new strain.
Punjab, the country’s most populous province, reported 49 confirmed cases of omicron variant for the first time, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing an official.
“Forty-eight confirmed cases of the new variant were reported from Lahore while only one from Bahawalpur,” the report read. “Most of the cases were reported from [Lahore’s] Gulberg and Cantonment areas.”
Authorities in Karachi detected an omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area after the emergence of 12 cases of the new strain, the Karachi East deputy commissioner’s office said.
They have imposed a lockdown in the vicinity to prevent the spread of the new variant.
Pakistan reported its first omicron case in Karachi on December 13. The South Asian nation has also stepped up its vaccination drive against coronavirus.
So far, the country had vaccinated more than 150 million people with Punjab leading the way by inoculating 68 percent of its eligible population, Pakistani Planning Minister Asad Umar said late last month.
A total of 92,086,806 people had received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccines, while 65,149,948 individuals had been fully inoculated in the country, according to official figures.
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
https://arab.news/6tjf5
Pakistan detects 61 omicron cases amid surge in COVID-19 infections
- In a first, Punjab reports 49 cases of new variant with a majority from Lahore
- Lockdown imposed in Karachi after authorities detect omicron hotspot in Gulshan-e-Iqbal
Gas leak claims lives of three women in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi — police
- Gas leaks are a recurring hazard in Pakistan during the winter season, resulting in explosions, fires and cases of asphyxiation
- Last week, a bride and a groom among eight people were killed because of a gas cylinder blast in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Three women suffocated because of a gas leak from a geyser at their home in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred inside the victims’ house located in Bahria Town Phase-7, according to Sub-inspector Imtiaz Nazir. Another woman was found unconscious at the scene.
“A 16-year-old girl was also affected and has been shifted to a hospital in critical condition, where she remains on a ventilator,” Nazir told Arab News.
“Investigation into the incident is underway, but initial findings indicate that the fatalities were caused by suffocation.”
Gas leaks and related accidents are a recurring hazard in Pakistan during the winter season, often resulting in explosions, fires and cases of asphyxiation that cause injuries and loss of life.
The risk tends to increase as households rely heavily on gas heaters, geysers, cylinders and stoves in poorly ventilated spaces.
Last week, a bride and a groom among eight people were killed because of a gas cylinder explosion in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, an official said. At least five people were killed in Pakistan’s southern Larkana city in a similar explosion in Dec., authorities said.
