“All the samples from Karachi were of South African or the Beta variant, which shows that Delta variant is not the predominant variant in the port city”, the official added.
By M Waqar Bhatti
The South African or the Beta is the predominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Karachi, where some cases of Indian or Delta variants have also been detected, while UK or Alpha is the predominant variant of the Coronavirus in Lahore, federal health officials said, adding that unfortunately all the existing variants are being detected in Islamabad in the equal proportions.
A senior official of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS, R&C) told The News on Friday that 16 samples of Coronavirus from Karachi were brought to National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad last week for genome sequencing and claimed that none of them contained the Delta or the Indian variant.
“All the samples from Karachi were of South African or the Beta variant, which shows that Delta is not the predominant variant in the port city”, the official added.
Similarly, he claimed that UK or Alpha variant was predominant in Lahore where the prevalence of South African and Indian variants were less comparatively but added that all four variants of the coronavirus were present and spreading in the capital including Wuhan, UK, South African and Indian variants.
Commenting on the spread of Indian or Delta variant in Pakistan, Vice Chancellor Health Services Academy (HSA) Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan said there was no need to be scared of the Indian variant as it was not yet the predominant variant in Pakistani cities but advised people to get vaccinated at the earliest and follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to remain safe and healthy.
He maintained that around 20 million doses of different vaccines were administered in Pakistan while over 12 million had been fully vaccinated in the country.
Originally published at The news international