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National Institution of Health (NIH) has confirmed in its fresh report that the largest Metropolitan city Karachi is safe from highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19.
As the fear of the fourth contiguous wave of coronavirus starts in Pakistan, authorities are concerned over the rising cases in Karachi.
According to a genome sequencing report prepared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), it took 16 samples of coronavirus from Karachi, of which none contained the Indian Delta variant.
However, there are some cases of Delta variant detected in the city. On the other hand, the South African or Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is prevalent in Karachi.
According to the health officials, the UK or Alpha is the predominant variant of coronavirus in Lahore. Whereas, Islamabad is engulfed with all current variants with equal proportion.
Sixteen samples of coronavirus are taken from Karachi for genome sequencing, which shows no signs of Delta variant of coronavirus, said a senior official of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS, R&C).
“All the samples from Karachi were of South African or Beta variant, which shows that the Delta variant is not the predominant variant in the port city,” the official said.
Health Services Academy Vice-Chancellor Dr Shahzad Ali Khan said, Pakistan is yet safe from the Indian Delta variant because it is not as prevalent in the country as to be scared of. He urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to remain safe and healthy.
Earlier in a statement, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had said that in view of the "extremely dangerous” Delta variant of coronavirus, vaccinations must be ramped up, and provided July 31 as the deadline for workers to get inoculated.
