Punjab reports 49 new omicron cases, tally rises to 511

LAHORE, : As many as 49 more people were found infected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Punjab in the last 24 hours, the provincial health department said Monday.

37 of the new cases of this variant were reported in Lahore alone, it said. The number of confirmed cases of the new strain in Punjab has jumped to 511.

The positivity rate of Omicron cases has risen to 8.3 per cent in the provincial capital.

University of Health and Science Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said Omicron is spreading like wildfire and will continue doing so. This variant can’t be controlled by vaccinating 80 per cent of the world population, he added.

He urged people to get themselves vaccinated against the viral disease as soon possible and adhere to the Covid-19 SOPs to keep the virus at bay.

Meanwhile, Pakistan reported 4,340 fresh cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the countrywide tally of cases to 1,328,487.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), a total of 49,809 samples were tested, out of which 4,340 turned out to be positive, showing the positivity rate of 8.71 per cent as compared to Sunday’s 7.8 per cent.