Pakistan reports first confirmed Omicron case through gene-sequencing

Pakistan has detected the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant in a patient belonging to Karachi, local media reported on Monday.

According to Dawn newspaper, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) confirmed today that the new coronavirus variant has been detected in a patient through gene-sequencing.

Later the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said in a tweet: "The National Institute of Health, Islamabad has been able to confirm that a recently suspected sample from Karachi is indeed the 'Omicron variant' of SARS-CoV2. This is the first confirmed case but continued surveillance of identified samples is in place to identify trends."

Earlier, the provincial Sindh Health Department in Pakistan and the Aga Khan University Hospital officials had announced the detection of a 'strongly-suspected' case of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Karachi.

This development comes as Omicron has been reported in large numbers worldwide, and World Health Organization (WHO) expects the number to continue growing.

Features of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, including the extent to which it will spread, and the sheer number of mutations, suggest that it could have a major impact on the course of the pandemic, according to WHO.

During the latest weekly briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus highlighted "a consistent picture of the rapid increase in transmission" but said that the exact rate of increase relative to other variants remains difficult to quantify.

Despite some data from South Africa suggesting an increased risk of re-infection with Omicron, more data is needed, UN News reported. Experts believe that the variant might also cause milder disease than Delta, but there is no definitive answer yet.