ISLAMABAD: Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan has tested positive for the new COVID-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom.
His spokesman said that the attorney general is self-isolating at his house after testing positive for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Khan tested for the virus on Saturday as he was leaving for the USA on March 2. Following this, coronavirus tests of employees at the attorney-general office are being conducted.
Many politicians such as PTI’s Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Saeed Ghani, and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah have been diagnosed with the virus as well.
The federal health ministry has confirmed the presence of a new coronavirus variant in Pakistan which was detected in the United Kingdom said that the authorities were closely monitoring the cases.
In a declaration, the ministry said that the new SARS-CoV-2 variant is less deadly, however, it is fast-spreading. “The new strain is being seen across the world and continues to be detected in samples in Pakistan. While this strain does not cause more severe disease, there is evidence that its transmission is faster,” a statement issued by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) stated.
“This highlights the need to continue following prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued by the government and to get vaccinated when your turn comes. The ministry is continuously monitoring the situation through a robust surveillance system,” the statement added.
On the other hand, the country reported another 1,315 cases and 33 deaths in a single day. The total number of cases has reached 578,797, with a positivity rate of 6.49 percent while 12,837 people have succumbed to the deadly virus till now.
