Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab has said that the provincial government has not yet taken a decision regarding a lockdown in Sindh. On Sunday, the coronavirus positivity rate in Karachi crossed 12% ringing alarming bells for authorities. According to the health department, Karachi has reported 633 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.
Experts have blamed the spur in the case on the new Omicron variant. The strain is highly-transmissible. It was first reported in Karachi on December `13. In a bid to counter its spread, the Sindh government, on Friday, made covid vaccination mandatory for students above or of the age of 12 years.
The situation is similar in Lahore. It has reported over 200 cases in the last 24 hours of which 21 were of Omicron. The Punjab government has imposed a emergency at hospitals across the province.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been consecutively reporting more than 1,000 cases every day this week. The positivity rate, which has shrunk to zero last year, has now reached over 2%.
Helth experts and the National Command and Operation Centre have urged people to get vaccinated. SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan says that’s our only defense against the virus.Booster shots are now available for vaccinated people over the age of 30 as well.
Those people who got both doses of their coronavirus vaccine at least six months back are eligible for the booster jab.
The vaccine will be administered free of cost. Only Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Pfizer will be given as booster shots. In Sindh, the booster service will be available at only three vaccination centers in Karachi: Dow Ojha Campus, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, and Children Hospital in District Central.
