Dec 29, 2021: National health authorities warn Pakistan may experience the fifth wave of Covid-19 in the mid of February 2022.

The peak in the wave will see daily detection of around 3,000-4,000 cases per day as community transmission of Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 or Coronavirus has started in the major cities of Pakistan, especially in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad where so far 75 people were found infected with the Variant of Concern.

According to data from National Command & Operation Centre, during last 24 hours most deaths occurred in Sindh and KP. 348 people tested covid positive on 28 Dec.  06 people lost lives due to covid during last 24 hours.  In total 71 vents occupied across Pakistan. The number of vents occupied stands at; Peshawar -14%, Islamabad – 11%, Lahore – 08%, Faisalabad – 04%.

While oxygen beds occupied are; Islamabad – 15%, Sargodha – 11%, Swabi – 10%, Peshawar – 09%.

The number of total active COVID CASES in Pakistan as of December 29 is; Sindh: 7795, Punjab: 17093, KP: 9003, ICT: 4471, Balochistan: 343, GB: 553, and AJK: 481. 1,255,396 People recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant count.
There is no patient on vent in AJK, Balochistan and GB.

A total of 1,294,379 cases detected so far (AJK 34657, Balochistan 33626, GB 10429, ICT 108534, KP 181285, Punjab 444752, Sindh 481096).

Total death tally since the onset of pandemic is 28918 deaths. The province wise breakdown stands as follows, Sindh: 7666 (3 died in hospital on 28 Dec), Punjab: 13066 (-), KP: 5924 (2 died in hospital on 28 Dec), ICT: 967 (1 died in hospital on 28 Dec), Balochistan: 363 (-), GB: 186 (-), and AJK: 746 (-).

The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, also confirmed that so far 75 cases of Omicron variant were confirmed in Pakistan, including 33 in Karachi where the first case was reported on December 13, 2021 while 17 cases of Omicron variant have been reported from Islamabad and 13 in Lahore.

The NHS official further claimed that most of the Omicron variant cases were ‘asymptomatic’, which indicates that it could be spreading silently in the major cities where only a few labs had the capacity to pick the suspected cases and then report it to the NIH.

According to the NIH, 12 of the patients diagnosed with omicron have international travel history. The health authorities have started contact tracing. Meanwhile, the patients have been quarantined at their homes.