The Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to strike the people as Pakistan has reported 1,572 cases during the last 24 hours which is the first time since October 2, 2021, that the country has recorded more than 1,500 positive cases in a single day.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), some 49,658 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours. Of them, 1,572 samples returned positive while the positivity ratio stood at 3.16 per cent.

Read more: WHO warns of ‘very high’ Omicron risk

Statistics 9 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 49,658
Positive Cases: 1572
Positivity %: 3.16%
Deaths :7
Patients on Critical Care: 604

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— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 9, 2022

The NCOC also reported seven deaths during this span while 604 patients are in critical care.

The latest variant has turned out to be highly transmissible than its predecessors and some studies suggest the coronavirus vaccines are less effective against it.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned that the Omicron variant still poses a “very high” risk and could overwhelm the healthcare systems.

Karachi has emerged as the hotspot of the new variant as the positivity rate, after dropping significantly, has recently resurged to around 10 per cent.

Read more: Pakistan reports over 700 Covid-19 cases amid Omicron threat