Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta are the common variants of Covid which were not detected in the first suspected Karachi Omicron case and three mutations have been found, says Dr Faisal Mahmood, a specialist at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
The first suspected case of a new variant of Covid, Omicron, was reported in Pakistan on Thursday. The Sindh government said it was a confirmed case but the federal government declared it a suspected case.
The samples are going through the genome sequencing process after which it will be confirmed whether it is Omicron or not.
The federal and provincial authorities coordinate and traditionally first the NCOC must declare a case.
The Sindh health department said it was reported from Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi in a woman who was not vaccinated.
Three mutations have been found in the woman’s samples but it will take a week to completely confirm, said Dr Faisal Mahmood while talking to media persons.
He said Omicron can infect vaccinated people but the jab protects against severe Covid or illness. “We detected this case in our routine testing but the symptoms were mild.
We do not report variant testing because it’s our collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO),” he said.
The Sindh government said it was a confirmed case but the federal government declared it a suspected case.
Experts have said that Omicron is highly contagious but not dangerous and people should not panic or believe in rumours.
The doctors have urged people to continue to take preventive measures because Omicron’s higher infection rate remains a cause of concern globally.
