Reuters, KARACHI, Dec 9 – A provincial health ministry official told Reuters on Thursday that Pakistani authorities had discovered the first case of the Omicron type of coronavirus in the country.
The virus was discovered in an unvaccinated patient being treated at a private hospital in Karachi, Pakistan’s most populated metropolis, according to a representative for Sindh’s southern province.
The patient had travelled abroad, according to the official, who did not specify where the patient had gone but did say that contact tracking was underway.
The provincial health department’s media coordinator, Mehar Khursheed, confirmed the detection of the first Omicron case in a woman from Karachi. She said the infected woman was admitted for treatment at Aga Khan University Hospital and was unvaccinated.
The 65-year-old has been discharged from the hospital and is currently isolated at home, according to a notification from the District Health Office in Karachi’s East district. She does not have a travel history.
According to the notification, the rapid response team was “taken on board immediately” for tracing, testing, quarantining, vaccination and other preventive measures to control the infection’s spread as per the guidelines of the National Command and Operation Centre.
The woman’s family was also contacted “quickly” by the district’s health team in order to obtain a full history and track down her contacts.
Two of the woman’s contacts have been admitted to the Aga Khan University Hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus but not for the Omicron type, according to the notification.
According to the notification, the district’s deputy commissioner has also been asked to take the necessary step — micro smart lockdown.
