Islamabad reports first case of Omicron strain: DHO

By
Amina Amir
A medical practitioner in Pakistan testing in the hospital lab. Photo:Reuters
A medical practitioner in Pakistan testing in the hospital lab. Photo:Reuters
  • Islamabad has confirmed first case of Omicron.
  • Sources say that patient has no international travel history.
  • Condition of patient is out of danger, say NIH sources.


Islamabad has reported the first case of the new COVID-19 strain, Omicron, District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia confirmed on Saturday.

According to Dr Zia, the patient has no international travel history; nonetheless, the patient recently travelled to Karachi.

The patient reportedly is in good health and has only minor symptoms. Contact tracing is currently being done to detect more cases, the sources added.

The DHO reports that healthcare staff are ready to deal with the Omicron variant.

He urged citizens to exercise caution and get vaccinated.

According to Dr Zia, citizens who are eligible for the booster shot should get one.

It is pertinent to note that six more Omicron cases were reported in Karachi yesterday taking the total number of infections in the city to eight.

According to the reports, the suspected patients have a travel history.

Four of them came from South Africa, where the Omicron variation was first detected, while two others came from the United Kingdom.

They stated that the suspected patients' samples had been sent to a private hospital for confirmation and that the patients had been moved to a quarantine centre.