The confirmation by the National Institute of Health that more than 70 cases of the Omicron variant of the covid-19 have been confirmed should end that sense of security, which in turn gave rise to the false sense of safety, which has afflicted our policymakers in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. The proliferation of cases should make it clear that the new variant has not only arrived, but is poised to spread. It has been said that the wave will hit in late January. That does not leave room for complacency.
However, it does mean that there is some time now, inadequate though it may be, to ramp up preparedness to combat the expected fourth wave. Instead of self-congratulatory victory laps, it is time to speed up the training to members of the medical community, and to other healthcare professionals, about how to handle the disease in all its aspects. Apart from a general preparation of special health facilities, including plans to convert large closed spaces, such as exhibition centres, into isolation wards, there must be a special effort to procure required quantities of oxygen. The country was spared some of the worst aspects of the delta variant, which ran amok all over the world, but especially in our Eastern neighbour. That does not mean that the omicron variant will not do its worst. There is as yet no certainty about how bad it is going to be, but the safest solution is to assume that it will be a kind of souped-up delta variant.
It is good to see there has been no let-up in the vaccination programme, for while it seems the omicron variant is not invulnerable to the vaccine, it does afford a degree of protection, though a booster shot has been recommended. While Pakistan has taken a number of measures, such as banning travel from the set of countries where it originated, its rapid spread in Europe and to the Americas means that to think it could be avoided means to live a fool’s paradise. The fifth wave of the covid-19 pandemic will be soon upon us, and there should be no mistake about dealing with it adequately, mini missing both spread and deaths.
