pakistan 
Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab has hinted at enforcing strict measures to limit the COVID-19 cases in Karachi.
Pakistan fears the fifth COVID-19 wave as it battles the spread of the Omicron variant.
In a statement released recently, Wahab said there had been a rapid spike in coronavirus cases in the last two weeks.
He said the government was reviewing the situation and nature of the latest cases.
The provincial health department data showed that the average positivity ratio of Pakistan’s largest metropolis remained 9.96% during the past seven days. The average positivity ratio of the rest of the province remained 1.21%.
“If the citizens aren’t prepared for strict decisions to be made, they should obey the government,” Wahab said.
He asked the citizens to get vaccinated and adhere to the standard operating procedures.
The administrator said the government would make decisions keeping the ground realities in mind.
Read Also | Omicron: NCOC warns of 5th COVID-19 wave
Karachi saw an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases on Sunday – a positivity ratio of more than 15pc – as per data from the Sindh health department.
According to experts, 87% of infected people were affected by the Omicron variant. The Sindh government has decided to initiate a door-to-door vaccination campaign next week.
The Sindh health department has provided dozens of private hospitals and laboratories COVID-19 vaccines.
On Saturday, Pakistan reported the highest number of infections since Oct 6. The national positivity rate has crossed three per cent.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) claimed that the cases of Delta variant were also increasing. It asked the government to strictly ensure the implementation of SOPs and impose heavy fines on violators to avoid a lockdown.
The data of the NCOC showed 1,345 persons were infected in the past 24 hours.
The PMA Secretary-General said that the government focused only on the Omicron variant, but the Delta variant was also spreading rapidly.
Dr Sajjad warned that the Omicron could further mutate in the country and become virulent like the Delta variant.
