Pakistan reported at least two more coronavirus-related deaths and 358 fresh cases when 52,050 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Sunday.
With the new deaths, the total number of Covid-related casualties has reached 28,907 in the country.
According to the NCOC data, out of 9,674 active cases, 631 patients are still critical.
Additionally, 446 patients recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,254,859.
Moreover, over 1.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered on Saturday across the country. So far, over 148,265,690 doses have been administered to the people.
First Omicron case in Islamabad
On Saturday, the first case of Omicron variant of the coronavirus was detected in the federal capital.
Kalat reports 30 suspected Omicron variant cases
In a tweet, the district health officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said that the case was detected in a 47-year-old male, adding that he was working in Islamabad and had travelled to Karachi for work-related purposes. “The patient had no history of travelling abroad”, he added.
He said the variant was confirmed as Omicron following its gene-sequencing, adding that 10 contacts of the patient were traced and subsequently isolated/ quarantined.
“Amid the looming threats of Omicron variant, our health teams are prepared to respond as they did in previous waves/ variants, diligently,” he added.
The DHO urged people to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), get them vaccinated, and get booster shots if eligible.
Six more suspected cases of Omicron variant reported in Karachi
Earlier, six more suspected cases of Omicron were reported in Karachi on Friday, Sindh Health Department confirmed.
According to the health department, four of the patients had recently returned from South Africa while two others arrived from the United Kingdom. The samples of all six patients have been sent for further verification.
On Wednesday, at least 30 suspected cases of the new variant were reported from the Kalat area of Balochistan.
The provincial health department said that the new cases emerged after a patient tested positive for the virus.