Suspected Omicron patient flees from quarantine facility in Karachi

KARACHI: The second suspected case of Omicron variant has been reported in Karachi, whereas, the infected man allegedly fled from the quarantine facility, citing sources, ARY News reported on Friday.

Sources within Sindh Health Department said that a 35-year-old man had tested positive for COVID-19 and was later confirmed as a patient of the Omicron variant.

The infected man had been spending a quarantine period in a hotel after arriving from the United Kingdom (UK) not included in Category C.

Pakistan had imposed a ban on travellers from those countries that came under Category C or reported Omicron cases.

READ: PAKISTAN IMPOSES TRAVEL BAN FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES AMID OMICRON VARIANT

Sources told ARY News that the security arrangements of quarantine areas came under the jurisdiction of the provincial home department, police forces and concerned deputy commission (DC).

It was learnt that nineteen persons are still present at the said quarantine facility and sequencing of five out of 19 is still due but no security measures were taken there.

Sources revealed that 38 persons had fled from the quarantine facility so far due to the lack of security arrangements.

Earlier on December 13, the National Institute of Health (NIH) had confirmed on Monday Pakistan’s first case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in a Karachi resident.

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The NIH had received samples of three suspected cases of Omicron variant from Karachi for genome sequencing, a study that confirms the exact variant of the virus.

Results of the samples were received on the completion of the genomic study, they said, disclosing that the sample of a 65-year-old woman was found to be carrying the new strain of coronavirus.

She had not gotten herself inoculated against the viral disease, sources said. The affected patient had been isolated at home since December 8.

In a Twitter statement, the NIH had said it has been able to “confirm (via whole genome sequencing) 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 suspected samples is in place to identify the trends.”