So far 108 cases of Omicron variant reported in KP
JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
Two more people died of Covid-19 and 200 new cases were detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as the positivity rate for the virus swelled to 10 percent in Nowshera and 7.24 percent in Peshawar on Tuesday.
The provincial capital, the epicenter of the virus, has a 7.24 percent infectivity level. It is also home to 608 active cases of the overall 1157 cases reported in the province.
Nowsehra with a 10 percent positive rate for coronavirus recorded no death during the last 24 hours.
The district recorded 44 active cases. The health officials said that vaccination was in progress throughout the province but the district administrations had bigger role in enforcement of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The case of Omicron, a new variant of coronavirus in the province, has also surged to 108, said a health department report.
The province’s fatalities due to the pandemic have reached 5965 while the number of cases is 182619. Of the infected persons 175497 have recovered.
The Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson said that a total more than hundred beds have been allocated for Covid-19 patients in the hospital while the number of admitted patients is 13 currently. Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) has admitted 43 patients of Covid-19, while Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) admitted 20 patients currently.
Of them, 15 are in critical condition and in ICU at the three major hospitals of the provincial capital.
The health department has already imposed a public health emergency law, which empowers the administration to take strict action against the violators of the preventive measures.
The province has already registered 108 of the Omicron variant of the virus, which has higher rates of mortalities and infections.
It may be mentioned here that National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) in its last meeting had announced that it would decide about the proposed closure of educational institutions only after thoroughly examining the incident.
The NCOC meeting was called to discuss national level response to an alarming spike in the nationwide COVID-19 incidence, discussed the epidemic curve chart data, national vaccine strategy and disease prevalence across the country, and decided about the enforcement of new protocols in cities with a 10 percent and above positivity rate. It had said a massive COVID-19 testing drive was being carried out in educational institutions to gather data.
Despite the alarming rise of new variants of the virus, it is surprising that many people in the mega shopping centre of the provincial capital are still flouting SOPs. Surprisingly, the district administration unlike the past has no mechanism to act responsibly and ensure the masses to take all precautionary measures to fight against the fifth wave of Covid-19.
