Health official confirms the development, says infected male’s contacts were traced and subsequently quarantined.
Islamabad
Islamabad’s first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was confirmed on Saturday, a health official said.
Islamabad District Health Officer (DHO) Zaeem Zia told that the case was detected in a 47-year-old male, adding that he was working in Islamabad and had travelled out of city for work-related purposes.
The patient had no history of travelling abroad, he said.
Zia 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 said.
The DHO urged people to follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures, get vaccinated and get booster shots if eligible.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat also confirmed the development, adding that the patient had a travel history from Karachi.
On Tuesday, 12 suspected cases of coronavirus’ Omicron variant were reported in Balochistan. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Health in Islamabad for confirmation of the variant’s presence after gene-sequencing.
Pakistan reported its first suspected case of the Omicron variant on December 8. Following its gene-sequencing, Aga Khan University Hospital confirmed it as the new variant on Dec 13.
In a statement, the hospital had said the patient was at home and doing well. So far, no other patients at the hospital had been confirmed to have the Omicron variant, it had added.
On Dec 18, health department sources told Dawn that another case of the variant had emerged in a 35-year-old man in Karachi who had arrived from the United Kingdom on Dec 8.
“His genome sequencing report stating that the infection appeared to be of Omicron has been sent to the National Institute of Health for further confirmation,” an official had said on the condition of anonymity.
