The emergence of the new omicron variant of the covid-19 coronavirus has set up barriers which had been taking their time coming down. Pakistan’s imposition of a ban on travelers from southern Africa, such as South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Lesotho, reflects both that these countries are where the new variant has emerged, and that Pakistan so far has not got a single case of the new variant, which is said to be deadlier than the original. While there is a serious attempt to limit its spread, already it has been detected in such countries as the Netherlands, Israel and Australia, though they are all far apart.
At the same time, it is a safe assumption that the new variant will get through. The original pandemic went to every place in the world, and the present variant does not show any signs of stopping. At the same time, the mistake made last time, when travellers were let through without being quarantined, because someone in the Cabinet pushed for it, must not be repeated. Even if the arrival of the omicron variant is assumed to be inevitable, vigorous border management will reduce its impact. The country escaped the worst effects of the delta variant, which were witnessed in neighbouring India, but that should not lead to any complacency. The country is indeed better placed to weather the new variant, what with new cases at a record low, but there must be no relaxation in the effort. Health SAPM Dr Faisal Sultan knows well the techniques that will need to be applied and he must get down to executing the plan.
One source of reassurance the country has is that the omicron variant is as susceptible as the older variants to the coronavirus vaccines. As Pakistan has overcome initial hiccups and is moving its programme towards the desired goal of 80 percent immunity by year-end, which means that there is no reason for the new variant to spread so as to create the sort of chaos that afflicted India. Still, the new threat means that there must be no let-up in the vaccination programme. There may be some loss of mobility, but by now the citizenry must accept as the new cost of doing business.
