ISLAMABAD: New COVID-19 cases crossed the 1,500 mark in Pakistan on Sunday, the highest coronavirus daily caseload since October, as a fifth viral wave is sweeping the country fueled by the highly transmissible omicron strain of the infection.
The omicron variant 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.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), which oversees Pakistan’s pandemic response, warned last week that the new variant is already spreading in the country at a “great pace.”
NCOC reported 1,572 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in Pakistan the past 24 hours as the country’s test positivity rate increased to 3.16 percent from below 1 percent only about a week ago.
Last week, Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, said the new variant has been spreading mostly in big cities.
On Saturday, the chief minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah said the number of omicron cases in the province had climbed to 328 after 21 more people tested positive between Jan. 6 and Jan. 7. Sindh’s capital is Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and financial hub.
Out of 24 samples tested in Karachi, at least 21 individuals tested positive for the omicron variant, which meant the prevalence rate of the variant was 87.5 percent, Shah said.
WHO data shows the new strain has spread quickly and emerged in at least 128 countries, presenting dilemmas for many nations and people seeking to reboot their economies and lives after nearly two years of COVID-related disruptions.
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.
