KARACHI: In an alarming trend, the COVID positivity ratio in Karachi has gone beyond 15 percent with the ratio of Omicron cases reaching 87 percent of the total cases reported from the city. According to the statistics shared by National Health Ministry, a total of 5,168 tests were performed in the last 24 hours in the city, resulting in 780 cases, bringing the positivity ratio beyond 15 percent.

The Sindh health department said that the ratio of Omicron cases from Karachi has reached 87 percent of the total reported cases. “District East remains most affected from the COVID cases, followed by district South,” the provincial health department said while sharing that they have sent 24 samples for genome sequencing in the last 24 hours.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Qasim Soomro said that the government would be forced to take strict measures if Covid-19 cases surge in the city. “There are concerns that next week will see an influx of patients in the health facilities,” he said while blaming wedding ceremonies and other gatherings for contributing to majority of Covid cases.

Spread of Omicron: Pakistan logs close to 900 Covid-19 cases, highest since October

The fifth wave of the Covid-19 seems to be intensifying as Pakistan reported 1,572 fresh cases of infection during the past 24 hours. According to the latest figures shared by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 49,658 samples were tested during this period, out of which 1,572 turned out to be positive, showing a national positivity rate of 3.16 per cent.

The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 28,969 after seven more patients succumbed to the viral disease in the past 24 hours. The number of Covid patients in critical care in various hospitals across the country has come down to 629. With the emergence of the COVID-19 cases in the country, the vaccination campaign against the pandemic has also been geared up.