Pakistan reports 406 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths in last 24 hours

Islamabad: Pakistan reported 406 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health on Sunday.

Experts say Pakistan may potentially witness another COVID-19 outbreak as the country continues to see an uptick in new cases, pushing the positivity rate further up, reported Geo News.

As many as 94 people are undergoing treatment in intensive-care units countrywide, the National Institute of Health (NIH) shared.

Pakistan registered a 2.81 per cent coronavirus test positivity ratio in the last 24 hours as 14,437 diagnostic tests were conducted across the country.

The National Institute of Health, earlier, shared that the case count has increased across the country, particularly in Karachi and Hyderabad.

In May, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif restored National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), an umbrella body that led Pakistan's fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The step was taken after the emergence of a new sub-variant of the Omicron strain of coronavirus in the country, reported ARY News.

Meanwhile, the National Institute of Health of Pakistan reported the first case of COVID-19 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1. on May 9.

This new sub-variant is causing an increasing number of cases in different countries, the National Institute of Health (NIH) had said in a statement.

"NIH has detected the first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1. This new sub-variant is causing an increasing number of cases in different countries," the health body had tweeted.

In view of this, NIH advised people to take preventive measures to avoid contracting the virus, which is vaccination against it.

"We strongly recommended getting vaccinated and all those due for boosters must get the shots immediately," it added.

Director General Health Dr Rana Muhammad Safdar said that the Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 was detected in a traveller who had returned from Qatar.

He added that this sub-variant is seen in the recent spike in cases in the US. "The disease severity and hospitalisation remain the same as Omicron but data is limited as of now."

The WHO (World Health Organisation) designated Omicron as a Variant of Concern on November 26, 2021, while the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Karachi was reported on December 13.

Since then, the Ministry of NHSRC (National Health Systems Resource Centre), NCOC, NIH (National Institute of Health) and the provincial health departments have remained vigilant to detect the variant in Pakistan," read an official statement. (ANI)