Sindh Govt Likely To Close Schools & Colleges Again
The Sindh government is considering closing schools and universities in Karachi because of the increasing number of cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Sindh Health Department said in a statement Tuesday that authorities are closely monitoring the situation and will make a decision on it in two to three days.
The development comes only one day after the reopening of the educational institutions in the federal states after the winter holidays.
The Prime Minister’s Special Health Assistant, Dr. Faisal Sultan, announced Monday that the COVID-19 infection rate in Karachi had exceeded 8.9% and that most of the cases were from the Omicron variant.
“People need to protect themselves by wearing masks and getting vaccinated as most of the cases are unvaccinated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sindh’s Prime Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah called on the relevant authorities to step up vaccination campaigns in Karachi and Hyderabad and to address violations of COVID-19 Standardized Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the Omicron variant appears to have a “growth advantage” over the Delta variant, which was previously the fastest-spreading variant of the virus.
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A recent study by the University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark, and Statens Serum Institut (SSI) suggests that the virus can mutate against immunity gained by vaccines.
The researchers said, “Our results confirm that the rapid spread of Omicron (variant) is primarily due to immune evasion rather than an inherent increase in initial transmissibility.”
However, the study has not yet been reviewed.
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