Pakistan fully ready to cope with new wave of Covid variant: NCOC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is fully ready to cope with the expected new wave of Covid variant, the National Institute of Health Islamabad and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said Sunday, ARY News reported.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider chaired a session of the National Command and Operation Centre.

The officials of the NIH Islamabad and the NCOC gave a briefing to the NDMA chairman regarding the country’s preparations to cope with the challenge of any new wave of the Covid pandemic.

READ: FORMER PM SHAHID KHAQAN ABBASI TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

The NCOC officials briefed the NDMA that surveillance has been increased at the airports and other entry points, whereas, all sections of intensive care are functional in hospitals across the country.

They added that laboratories in all provinces and the federal capital are sequencing Covid-19. They predicted that the country is not facing the risk of another wave of any coronavirus variant including the Covid-19 BF.7 variant.

The NDMA chairman was given assurance that 90 per cent of the population was vaccinated.

READ: BEIJING, SHANGHAI RESIDENTS BACK TO WORK AS CHINA EASES INTO LIVING WITH COVID

The officials further said that those persons who have contracted the COVID new variants may face pain in the upper respiratory system, however, it will not be difficult to be controlled.

The authority directed the concerned officials to further improve facilities in the hospitals to treat Covid patients. The NDMA issued instructions to ensure the availability of ventilators, oxygen supply and anti-viral medicines in the medical facilities.

The important session was attended by the representatives of the federal and provincial health officials besides the officials from the met department, climate change ministry and others.