ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Institute of Health (NIH) said on Monday the first cases of the coronavirus omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 had been detected in samples collected at airports from foreign travelers.
BA.2.12.1 is accounting for a growing share of United States cases — about 36 percent of samples sequenced during the week ending April 30, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has also been found in other countries and is believed to be 27 percent more contagious than the BA.2 variant.
“We have reported this case to the media and public after this sub-variant was detected in some samples recently collected at our airports,” NIH focal person Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan told Arab News.
“We aren’t recommending any new coronavirus-related restrictions at the moment, but have enhanced our monitoring and screening of all incoming travelers at airports.”
“We cannot disclose the name of the particular country from which this sub-variant was brought in Pakistan,” Khan said, adding that the variant had been found in more than one sample, and the news was being made public so citizens would understand the urgency of taking precautions and getting vaccines.
“This is more transmissible than previous variants with mild symptoms and less severity,” Khan said, saying the best preventive measure was to wear masks in crowded places and get vaccinated.
“We strongly recommended getting vaccinated and all those due for booster must get the shots immediately,” he said, saying the NIH was recommending a fourth shot to build immunity against the virus.
Khan said the coronavirus would keep mutating as long as it spread through the population: “The omicron variant will continue to evolve, and it is good in a way that the virus may weaken too.”
Pakistan lifted all coronavirus-related restrictions in March following a significant decline in daily infections across the country.
In the last 24 hours, Pakistan reported 100 new infections with zero deaths. Around 122 million people in Pakistan, out of a population of 220 million, are fully vaccinated.
No new COVID-19 restrictions as Pakistan detects omicron sub-variant in incoming travelers
https://arab.news/vg5u9
No new COVID-19 restrictions as Pakistan detects omicron sub-variant in incoming travelers
- Authorities do not disclose name of country from where variant brought to Pakistan
- BA.2.12.1 believed to be 27 percent more contagious than previous BA.2 variant
Pakistan FM discusses regional situation with Saudi counterpart, urges restraint and dialogue
- This is the second time the two foreign ministers have spoken since the Arab Coalition targeted weapon shipments on Yemen’s Mukalla port
- Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to ‘discuss just solutions to southern cause’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, discussed the regional situation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and called for restraint and dialogue to resolve issues, the Pakistani foreign office said late Friday, amid tensions prevailing over Yemen.
This is the second time the two foreign ministers have spoken this week since the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen carried out a “limited” airstrike on Dec. 30, targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and military equipment sent from the Emirati port of Fujairah to Mukalla in southern Yemen.
A coalition forces spokesperson said the weapons were meant to support the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Al-Mahra “with the aim of fueling the conflict.” The UAE has since announced withdrawal of its remaining troops from Yemen, rejecting any actions that could threaten the Kingdom or undermine regional stability.
In their telephonic conversation late Friday, the Pakistani and Saudi foreign ministers discussed the latest situation in the region, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
“FM [Dar] stressed that all concerned in the region must avoid any escalatory move and advised to resolve the issues through dialogue and diplomacy for the sake of regional peace and stability,” it added.
Separately, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to “discuss just solutions to the southern cause.”
The ministry statement said the conference in the Saudi capital had been requested by Rashad Al-Alimi, President of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, and the Kingdom urged all factions to participate “to develop a comprehensive vision” that would fulfill the aspirations of the southern people.
Disregarding previous agreements with the Arab Coalition, the STC separatist group launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman. It also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
The advance has raised the spectre of the return of South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, while dealing a hammer-blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia said the STC action poses a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security, and regional stability. The Kingdom has reiterated the only way to bring the southern cause to a resolution is through dialogue.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s foreign office expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to the Kingdom’s security, amid rising tensions in Yemen.
“Pakistan expresses complete solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirms its commitment to security of the Kingdom,” Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters at a weekly news briefing.
“Pakistan maintains its firm support for the resolution of Yemen issue through dialogue and diplomacy and hopes that Yemen’s people and regional powers work together toward inclusive and enduring settlement of the issue, safeguarding regional stability.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark defense pact in September last year, according to which aggression against one country will be treated as an attack against both. The pact signaled a push by both governments to formalize long-standing military ties into a binding security commitment.
