Pakistan confirms presence of new UK strain, asks people get vaccinated

Pakistan government has warned people to follow COVID-19 precautionary guidelines and get vaccinated as the country has confirmed the presence of the UK strain of novel coronavirus.

The new coronavirus strain was detected in the UK in December. It is hugely more transmissible than the virus's previous version, BBC reported.

The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) in an overnight statement said that Pakistan is among 92 countries in the world where the strain has been detected.

The new strain is being seen across the world and continues to be detected in samples in Pakistan. While this strain does not cause more severe disease, there is evidence that its transmission is faster, the statement stated.

The ministry asked the people that they should more vigorously follow the guidelines to avoid infection and seek vaccination as the ultimate solution.

This highlights the need to continue following prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued by the government and to get vaccinated when your turn comes, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases reached 579,973 with the addition of 1,176 new patients in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry of NHS.

It added that 23 more patients died, taking the number of deaths to 12,860. Another 545,277 have recovered so far.