Pakistan records Omicron spark as new cases rise

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday reported over three percent positivity rate of the Coronavirus for the third straight day.

According to figures uploaded by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), 1,467 cases were reported from 43,540 tests that were conducted in the last 24 hours.

The detection of new cases moved overall infections past 1.307 million.

Meanwhile, two more people lost their lives due to the virus, taking the death toll to 28,974, NCOC’s website showed.

The positivity ratio in Pakistan’s biggest city was recorded at 15.52% in Karachi due to the spread of the Omicron variant, officials added, according to The News.

NCOC chief Asad Umar has urged the nation to remain cautious to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the face of a rising positivity rate.

“People should follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to save themselves from COVID-19 which is currently spreading fast in the country,” Umar said at a prize distribution ceremony held to honor health workers.

The NCOC chief had said: “People who were fully vaccinated six months ago and are over 30 years of age should get a booster dose.”

In light of the rising cases, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Administrator Murtaza Wahab had hinted at resorting to strict COVID-19 restrictions to curb infection rates.