Though according to Minister Asad Umar nearly 100 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine in Pakistan – and 74 million are fully vaccinated – the surge in new cases and positivity rate remains alarming. This means the country’s health managers need to keep the momentum going. On January 10 the number of new Covid-19 cases stood at 1,467 taking the tally to over 1.3 million. The nationwide positivity rate has also increased to 3.3 percent. In terms of new cases of the coronavirus, Sindh is leading the pack with 940 cases in a day and Punjab is following with 388 new cases. Keeping in view the small population of Islamabad, its case number is troubling – with nearly 100 new cases in 24 hours. On January 11, the number of active cases in Pakistan stood at nearly 19, 000, of whom over 600 were in critical condition.
The news from around the world should also be a cause of concern as many countries are battling the Omicron spread. In our neighbourhood, China has locked down millions of residents in a central Chinese city. As many as five million residents are coming under home confinement to curb the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus. This calls for us to be on high alert for new outbreaks and only a ‘zero-Covid strategy’ will be helpful in countering the disease by targeted lockdowns. A related issue is about effective border restrictions and the required quarantines. At the moment both – borders and quarantines – are getting lax treatment from the health authorities in the country. There should be no doubt that the fast-spreading Omicron strain presents a fresh challenge to Pakistan too. There are growing infection clusters in Karachi, which may spread to other cities and towns in the country.
India is also likely to see millions of devotees throng to the Ganges for a holy festival. Despite galloping Covid-19 infections, governments and citizens appear to have learned no lesson at all. The numbers are staggering and should alert us to take the disease more seriously than we are doing now. A strict imposition of SoPs in all public places and transport, in all offices and industries, and in all educational institutions, should start immediately. The government and all its health bodies, departments, and entities must remain vigilant in the face of this growing menace of the Omicron variant which seems to be spreading like wildfire.