ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's national pandemic response body on Saturday rejected media reports that said a new coronavirus variant in China posed a threat to Pakistan, adding that the situation is being "closely monitored."
Local media reports quoted the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan's pandemic response body, as saying that a new coronavirus variant in China can pose a threat to Pakistan.
The reports quoted NCOC as saying that the new variant could enter Pakistan from free travelling and China's measures of lifting the lockdowns.
In a Twitter post, the NCOC described the reports as 'unverified'.
"The National Command and Operations Center affirms that at present there is no such threat. The situation is being closely monitored," it added.
As per international media reports, a new variant has been driving coronavirus infections in China. The coronavirus strain spreading infections in China is a sub-variant of the highly infectious Omicron variant: BF.7 or BA.5.2.1.7.
Pakistan reported only 13 positive coronavirus cases and one death from the infection on Saturday. Authorities carried out 4,403 tests, resulting in a positivity ratio of 0.30%.
One person died while only 17 patients were on critical care, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) Pakistan.
