ISLAMABAD: Pakistani planning minister Asad Umar, who also heads the federal pandemic response body, said on Sunday there was “clear evidence” of the beginning of a new wave of the coronavirus in the country while genome sequencing showed rising cases of the omicron variant.
A year ago, the newly available vaccine offered hope that the COVID-19 pandemic may be under control by the start of 2022. Instead, the sudden arrival of omicron has brought a surge in coronavirus cases across the globe.
Worldwide infections hit a record high over the past seven-day period, with an average of just over a million cases detected a day between December 24 and 30, up some 100,000 on the previous peak posted on Wednesday, according to Reuters data. Deaths, however, have not risen in kind, bringing hope the new variant is less lethal.
Pakistan recorded 594 cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, with eight deaths.
“Clear evidence now of a beginning of another covid wave which has been expected for last few weeks,” Umar said on Twitter. “Genome sequencing showing rising proportion of omicron cases particularly in karachi.”
Earlier this week the Pakistan Medical Association warned that a fifth wave of the coronavirus could hit the country by the end of January as new cases of the fast-spreading omicron variant were reported in different cities across the nation.
The strain was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in November, with the first known case in Pakistan identified last month in a woman who had no travel history outside the country. Last week the National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed over 75 omicron cases in the country.
