NDMA issues instructions for awareness, traveller’s surveillance

• Chairman NDMA presided over the review session
• NIH showed detailed statistics on COVID-19 in Pakistan
• CAA informed efficient system is functional at airports

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday issued instructions to the authorities concerned to ensure mass public awareness about the novel coronavirus variant that threatens the resurgence of the disease and ensure surveillance of travellers to avoid any risk of infection.

Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik presided over the review session held with the team of the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on the COVID-19 situation and surveillance mechanisms at airports in the wake of the threat posed by the new BF.7 Omicron variant of the deadly virus, a news release said.

The NIH showed detailed statistics on COVID-19 Management and Vaccination Administration Data in Pakistan.

It was briefed that Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) & Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests of inbound passengers have been conducted at all airports of the country as per policy in vogue.

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NIH officials told the forum that vaccination and screening tests of pedestrians are being executed at the Torkham border on daily basis.

The CAA informed that an efficient system with a proper management team was fully functional at airports to remain vigilant and related logistic arrangements had been made to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19.

Chairman NDMA expressed confidence in the country’s anti-covid strategies and national preparedness regime.

However, he instructed NIH to issue precautionary advisories for educational institutes, social gatherings, and communities and conduct weekly media briefings to sensitize the public and stakeholders.

He emphasized continuous monitoring of the global spread and behavior of sub-variant, and measures undertaken by other countries accordingly to counter the strain.

On December 31, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) was very much concerned over the spread of two new variants of Covid-19, Gryphon (Omicron XBB) and BF.7, the sub-lineage of the Omicron variant in China, India, Bangladesh, Japan, the US, Australia and Denmark.

PMA Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro had said although Corona situation in the country was under control and positivity ratio of Covid-19 was 0.5% however because of detection of new variants in some countries the government should become more vigilant and take all the required preventive measures to avoid spread of new variants in the country.