Lagatar24 Desk
Islamabad, Dec 9: Pakistan on Thursday reported its first case of the new coronavirus variant Omicron in a woman in Karachi.
“A private hospital in Karachi reported the first case in a 57 year old female patient,” Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said, adding that a genomic study was being carried out for confirmation.
The patient had arrived from abroad and is unvaccinated.
“Omicron is very transmissible but deaths or serious [conditions] have not been seen in recent reports coming from South Africa (where the variant was first detected). There is no cause for concern. We are conducting a genomic study which will take one or two weeks,” said the Health Minister.
Karachi (08-12-21): Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Sindh, Dr. @AzraPechuho's statement on the suspected case of Omicron. A genomic study is being conducted which will confirm the exact variant but for now getting both doses of the vaccine is the best precaution. pic.twitter.com/24wi7MwXlR
— Heath & Population Welfare Department, GoS (@SindhHealthDpt) December 9, 2021
It would be confirmed whether the woman was infected with the Omicron variant once the study was completed, she added.
Notably, the minister’s statement came hours after her spokesperson Mehar Khursheed confirmed the detection of the first Omicron case in a woman from Karachi. She also informed that the infected woman was unvaccinated and had been admitted for treatment at Aga Khan University Hospital.