Covid-19: Pakistan confirms first case of Omicron sub-variant

ISLAMABAD – National Institute of Health on Monday said that the first case of the subvariant of COVID-19's Omicron variant has been confirmed.

Taking to Twitter, the NIH said that it detected the case of Omicron's sub-variant BA.2.12.1 through genome sequencing. It said that the new sub-variant is causing increasing number of cases in different countries.

The NIH advised the people to take the best preventive measure to avoid contracting the virus.

The best preventive measure (besides mask-wearing at crowded places) is COVID-19 vaccination. We strongly recommended getting vaccinated and all those due for boosters must get the shots immediately.

— NIH Pakistan (@NIH_Pakistan) May 9, 2022

"We strongly recommended getting vaccinated and all those due for boosters must get the shots immediately," the Tweet read.

On March 31, Pakistan announced the closure of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the body which was set up in March 2020 in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to collect, analyse and process information, transferring all its functions, roles and responsibilities to the NIH.