ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel chaired a meeting at the Public Health Emergency Operation Center (NIH) on the current Covid-19 situation.
The special session was called on the directives of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The session was attended by all the provincial and federal Cheif Secretaries Health, Secretary Health, Director General Health, and representatives from NIH.
The session was called after the first case of a new sub-variant of the covid-19 omicron virus was detected in the country. “The situation is under control right now but we must stay vigilant” said the minister.
General Aamer Ikram, Executive Director, NIH, gave an overview of the situation in the country. “Only one case was detected recently and we are closely monitoring the spread,” he said.
The NIH team presented the data and overview of the current situation. Secretary health Amir Khawaja explained the daily process of data reporting and documentation.
Provincial health leadership also briefed the minister on vaccination progress, NPIs, and other measures to curb the spread of the virus. DG Health Dr Rana emphasized staying vigilant and keeping a close eye on the formation of virus clusters.
The minister stressed the need to keep a close eye on the current Covid-19 situation and the emerging new variants and said concerned teams and officials must remain vigilant. He deeply appreciated the efforts launched in handling the pandemic.
PM orders to revive NCOC
A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the detection of highly-infectious sub-variant of Omicron virus and directed the restoration of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The prime minister ordered immediate restoration of the NCOC after the country a day earlier had reported its first case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1. He also sought a report from the Ministry of National Health on the current situation of the virus in the country.
The National Institute of Health (NIH), had detected a case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 through genome sequencing and reported that the new sub-variant was causing an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in different countries. The NIH advised people to take the best preventive measure to avoid contracting the virus, which is vaccination against it.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan had formally shut down the NCOC in April on a reduced number of COVID-19 cases. The NCOC during the pandemic was tasked to oversee the government’s pandemic response and keep the nation updated on daily cases, deaths, recoveries, number of vaccinations, etc.
