Pakistani public urged to get fully vaccinated over Omicron variant

Islamabad, Nov 30 (IANS) Asad Umar, Head of Pakistan's National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), that leads the nation's campaign against Covid-19 on Monday urged the Pakistani people to get fully vaccinated in order to protect themselves from the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Speaking to media at a press conference held in Islamabad, Umar, who is also Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, said, "Previous experiences show that it can spread across the world, including Pakistan, because the world is so interconnected that it is impossible to stop any new variant from spreading."

At present, people getting fully vaccinated is a logical solution against threat of the Omicron variant, according to the Minister.

The Minister announced that the Pakistani government will launch a big vaccination campaign nationwide this week, adding that the number of daily tests will also increase with more resources put in, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that currently 50 million Pakistani people are fully vaccinated.

In response to the Omicron variant, the NCOC has announced suspending arrivals from certain countries, including South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, from Saturday.