Instructions have been issued to the relevant authorities to ensure that passengers entering Pakistan pass through thermal scanners installed at airports throughout the country.
In response to the threat posed by the new BF.7 Omicron variant of COVID-19, Pakistani health authorities have installed a surveillance system at all entry points to monitor incoming passengers.
According to health officials, instructions have been issued to the relevant authorities to ensure that passengers entering Pakistan pass through thermal scanners installed at airports throughout the country.
A Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination official stated that several additional measures had been implemented to prevent the spread of the sub-variant.
He stated that the country has an “efficient system with a proper management team that is fully functional” and is ready to make an emergency plan to deal with any sub-variant of COVID-19.
He stated that in the event of an emergency, the health system would be available and “fully prepared to deal with any sub-variant” of the Omicron variant in the country, including BF.7.
The official went on to say that medical staff in intensive care units (ICUs) across the country were also ready to handle any situation. He stated that genome sequencing has begun in all four provinces and the federal capital. “The COVID-19 vaccine has already been administered to 90% of the country’s population, so they are safe,” he added.
According to the official, special instructions were issued to ensure that hospitals have an adequate supply of ventilators, oxygen supplies, and antiviral medicines. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported 26 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours across the country. The case positivity ratio is 0.75 percent, and 14 patients were critically ill.
Thermal scanners are a type of technology that can be used to detect elevated body temperatures in individuals. This technology is used at airports and other public places to screen for fever, which can be a symptom of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
The installation of thermal scanners at airports in response to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, also known as the Delta variant, is an effort to reduce the spread of the virus by identifying and isolating individuals who may be infected.