Karachi: Sindh health officials report two instances of new Covid variant in visitors arriving at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
The variation is unclear, despite proven examples. Officials believe the highly dangerous JN.1 strain—which is already causing global concern—is responsible for the infections.
The cases were confirmed on Friday, hours after interim federal health minister Dr. Nadeem Jan informed the Senate there were no JN.1 infections.
Two 50s and 60s-aged men were passengers. They arrived Thursday and Friday from Bangkok and Jeddah.
“With the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT), both passengers with flu-like symptoms were positive for COVID-19,” a health department spokeswoman said. Their samples are being processed to find the disease-causing mutation.
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The samples have been forwarded to Dow University of Health Sciences for results in five days or more.
The official added that the patients should have been confined to a Karachi hospital because they may have spread the “highly contagious” new infection.
The source said the passengers had to quarantine at home before returning to Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, and Sanghar, Sindh.
He explained that RAT limited virus screening to 2% of travellers.
The Sindh health department spokesman said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has not ordered quarantine facilities.
When two percent of passengers were randomly investigated, the official said the NCOC’s instructions were followed. “The NCOC advisory calls for surveillance measures that are being implemented, but there are no instructions for setting up separate facilities to quarantine patients,” a spokesman added.
The NCOC recommends checking travellers at Taftan, Wagah, Torkham, and Chaman international airports and border crossings.
Experts say the JN.1 sub-variant of the Omicron lineage is more transmissible than other circulating variations and has been increasing in cases.
It accounts for 60% of US cases, when hospitalisation rates have risen in three weeks.
Dr. Rafiq Khanani, head of the Pakistan Infectious Diseases Society, said the strain is spreading across Europe and India.
He claims the condition causes anxiety, sleep issues, and flu-like symptoms.
Although less severe than COVID-19, elderly and immunocompromised people might still get serious diseases. Thus, we must impose public hygiene measures like hand washing, face masks, and social distancing.
Because these immunisations have half-lives of six to twelve months, he advised a booster. Dr. Khanani believed the patient’s positive RAT test showed a significant viral load and infection risk. “Our current level of surveillance is too low, so there must be a number of other infected passengers who went unnoticed.”
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