Pakistan confirms first three cases of COVID-19 variant from UK returnees
Family members carry the casket of Khursheed Bibi, who died due to coronavirus, in Hyderabad, Pakistan. File/AP
Gulf Today Report
Pakistan has reported its first confirmed cases of a new coronavirus strain detected in the United Kingdom earlier this year.
The Health Department of Sindh took 12 COVID-19 samples of UK returnees for Genotyping out of which 6 were positive and 3 showed the new variant of the COVID-19 virus in the first phase.
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The Genotyping showed 95% match of the new variant from the UK. These samples will go through another phase of genotyping. Meanwhile the contact tracing of these patients is in process and their contacts are being isolated also.
Health worker checks temperature of a face masked woman in Karachi. File photo
The national tally of total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Tuesday reached 39,599 with 1,776 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,602 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours.
Sixty-three corona patients, 54 of whom were under treatment in hospital and nine in their respective homes or quarantines died on Monday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 475,085 cases were detected in Pakistan, 425,494 recovered and about 9,992 deaths were recorded.
