Pakistan has detected its first case of the Omicron sub-variant, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad reported on Monday, as the public gets back to routine life after Eidul Fitr celebrations without COVID-19 restrictions for the first time in two years.
A statement issued by the NIH on Twitter said it detected a case of Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 through genome sequencing. It said that the new sub-variant is causing increasing number of COVID-19 cases in different countries.
The NIH advised people to take the best preventive measure to avoid contracting the virus, which is vaccination against it.
"We strongly recommended getting vaccinated and all those due for boosters must get the shots immediately," the tweet read.
On March 31, Pakistan announced the closure of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the body which was set up in March 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to collect, analyse and process information, transferring all its functions, roles and responsibilities to the NIH.