Pakistan said on Friday that New Covid variants from South Africa and Brazil have been discovered in the country, raising fears of further pressure on the already overwhelmed health system, a minister said.
Dr. Azra Pechuhu, health minister for southern Sindh province, said in a video message that at least 10 British, two South African, and one Brazilian New Covid variants were discovered in the country’s commercial capital, Karachi.
South African & Brazilian variant of COVID-19 found in samples taken by AKU. This is an emergency as these variants are not vaccination responsive either. Therefore it is important for everyone to take all necessary precautions & take this seriously. #SindhHealth pic.twitter.com/F6IRNDTyBQ
— Health and Population Welfare Department, Sindh (@SindhHealthDpt) April 30, 2021
Karachi, home to more than 15 million people, is the capital of Sindh and one of the epicenters of a devastating third wave of the pandemic.
“The Brazilian and South African strains of the virus have higher mortality rates and the vaccine’s effectiveness is not as significant against them,” Pechuhu said.
According to the minister, this means that those infected with these virus strains could become “very ill” despite being vaccinated.
He feared an additional burden for hospitals already grappling with the growing number of COVID-19 patients, and said the spread and death rates of these variants were “very high“.
Pakistan has already banned air and land travel from India, citing concerns about the spread of India’s new strain of coronavirus, a “double mutant” variant believed to be responsible for a recent surge in infections in the neighboring country.
Also Read: India’s fight against the deadly Coronavirus wave: Pak offers relief supplies to help
The two South Asian nuclear competitors faced a devastating wave of COVID-19, while the situation in Pakistan was seen as relatively better compared to India, where hospitals are running out of beds and oxygen.
Pakistan reported more than 5,000 infections and 131 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, while health officials warned of a similar situation to India if cases continue to increase at the current rate in the coming weeks.
