ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Dr. Arif Alvi has tested positive for COVID-19, he said on Twitter on Thursday, the second time he has gotten the virus in less than a year.
Pakistan is currently going through a fifth wave of the coronavirus, largely driven by the omicron variant.
"I have tested +ive for Covid again," Alvi said. "Had a sore throat since 4-5 days & was getting better. Felt mildly feverish for a few hours two nights ago. No other symptoms."
Alvi had announced getting the virus in March last year after receiving his first dose of an unnamed vaccine, just over a week after a similar announcement from the prime minister.
Pakistan reported 1,085 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, with its infection positivity rate rising to 2.32 percent. The positivity rate had fallen below one percent last month and last crossed two percent on October 14 last year.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) warned earlier this week that the omicron variant-driven fifth wave was already spreading in the country at a “great pace.”
Since the heavily mutated omicron variant was first detected in November, WHO data shows it has spread quickly and emerged in at least 128 countries. However, while case numbers have surged to all-time records, the hospitalization and death rates are often lower than at other phases in the pandemic.
