National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar urged people on Wednesday to get vaccinated against coronavirus, saying the Omicron variant was spreading at a rapid pace in Pakistan, especially Karachi and Lahore
Addressing a press conference, flanked by PM’s health aide Dr Faisal Sultan, the planning minister said people should take precautions in the wake of its spread
Wearing masks and compliance with SOPs are important, but the most important protection against the virus is vaccination, he added
LIVE #APPNews : Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar and SAPM Health Dr Faisal Sultan briefs about Omicron Variant #Islamabad #NCOC https://t
co/LhPpAm0M5i — APP 🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) January 5, 2022 According to Umar, the Covid-19 vaccines play a major role against the virus
He said the rate of hospitalisation in the UK and US was lower than in South Africa – where the variant first emerged in November – because of the higher vaccination rate
In South Africa, within a few weeks, the cases rose from 116 to 25,000, said Umar, adding that along with 3,500pc increase in infections, the hospitalisation rate jumped to 700pc
In the US, there was 400pc increase in the cases while the hospitalisation rate increased only to 92pc
Similarly, in the UK, there was 134pc increase in hospitalisation rate, whereas the infection rate jumped to 300pc
Read Omicron feared to loom within mosques The lower rate of hospitalisation in the US and UK pointed towards the efficacy of vaccines against the deadly variant
In Pakistan, the positivity rate rose from 0
7 to 1
8pc in mere two weeks, he said, adding that after the emergence of Omicron, cases increased threefold
He said Karachi recorded 940pc increase in corona infections as a result of Omicron whereas Lahore reported 193pc spike in 10-12 days
Umar warned that the cases will increase further if no precautionary measures were taken
Vaccines are very important to contain the virus, he said while imploring people to get jabs
Speaking to reporters, Dr Faisal Sultan said vaccinated people, especially the elderly men and women, are less prone to severe illness as per the data compiled by the NCOC
In order to protect themselves against the virus, the health adviser urged people to get a second dose if they have not
He said people aged 30 and above are also eligible for a booster dose if their second dose was administered at least six months ago
| Date: | 06-Jan-2022 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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