Karachi’s Covid-19 positive rate increases to 21.23 percent
The positive rate in Karachi, Pakistan’s financial hub, alarmingly rose to 21.23 percent on Thursday as Covid-19 cases resurge around the nation.
53 city residents tested positive for the virus on June 16 according to data from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). On June 22, however, 138 persons in the city tested positive, more than doubling the number of cases within a week (Wednesday).
The NCOC reports that out of the entire nation, Karachi has reported the largest number of Covid cases, with Abbottabad recording the second-highest number of cases with an 8.7 percent positive rate. Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, and Mirpur in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were among the other cities that recorded infection rates of exceeding 2 Karachi’s Covid-19 positive rate increases.
On Thursday, 268 new Covid cases were discovered nationally, marking the second day of more than 200 cases each day. The nationwide positive rate was 2.14 percent. One individual died from the infection in the last 24 hours.
NCOC gathering
At yesterday’s NCOC meeting, it was revealed that 93 percent of the eligible population had received just a partial vaccination, while 85 percent had received all three shots. In Sindh, every eligible person has received their full dose of vaccinations.
All provinces and areas were recommended to deliver booster doses as a priority to further enhance protection against Covid transmission during the meeting, which was presided over by Federal Minister of National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel in Islamabad.
“The Central Health Establishment (CHE) shall rigorously check the health state of incoming travellers at points of entry in light of the current worldwide pandemic crisis. To improve functioning, the CHE will be fortified, according to Patel.
The CHE publishes warnings, keeps track of health-related news both inside and outside the nation, and works to prevent the transmission of illness.
The minister emphasised the value of safety measures, such as social distance and mask use, particularly in crowded areas. He also emphasised the need of rigorously adhering to the regulations for controlling marketplaces during Eid al-Adha.
Sixth wave anxiety
Dr. Saeed Khan, a professor of molecular pathology and the director of the Sindh Public Health Lab at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), told Dawn earlier that a new variant, BA.5, which is rapidly spreading in other countries, had been reported in Pakistan, including Karachi, and was now being transmitted locally.
Even if other [old] sub-variants of Omicron are also being detected in Karachi, this one is more contagious since it’s new and has caused alarm elsewhere in the world, he added, adding that the unvaccinated, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems were particularly vulnerable.
The increase in instances might lead to the sixth wave of coronavirus, he warned, if we don’t take medical advise seriously and don’t begin adopting Covid-related preventative measures.
Dr. Khan claims that there are several factors at play in the quick spread of the variations. “They are genetically distinct, which aids in their rapid transmission. Other causes include the fact that vaccination protection starts to wane after six months, widespread resistance to booster shots, and a lack of Covid-19 prevention strategies in public settings.
