Pakistan reports no JN1 Omicron variant case, says health minister 

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan reassured the public that Pakistan has not yet identified any cases of the recently discovered Covid-19 variant, JN.1 Omicron.

Dr Nadeem Jan, addressing the upper house, said that Pakistan is vigilantly monitoring the new variant and remains on high alert.

This statement follows a decision by the caretaker government to secure 500,000 doses of Covid vaccine, anticipating the potential resurgence of the new variant in various countries.

The procurement of Pfizer vaccines from the United States was initiated based on recommendations from the Emergency Operation Centre’s (EOC) technical advisory group, responding to the emerging threat posed by the JN.1 variant.

In a proactive measure, the caretaker government has increased Covid-19 testing following an advisory issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the JN.1 Omicron variant. The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) issued an advisory to provincial health departments, highlighting the WHO's alert about a rise in respiratory infections.

The NCOC advisory noted that neighboring countries have reported cases of the newly-spread JN-1 variant. It also expressed serious concerns about the increasing number of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) cases in the country over the past few weeks.