Coronavirus: Pakistan ‘sees 5th wave begin’; Singapore’s open-border resolve tested as imported cases soar
- Rising case numbers prompt government of Punjab to impose state of emergency in all major hospitals
- In Singapore, more infections brought in than local cases for first time in nearly six months; in Australia, PM advised to self-monitor after case at residence
“Clear evidence now of a beginning of another Covid wave which has been expected for last few weeks,” said Asad Umar, the minister in charge of the country’s coronavirus response.
In a tweet, Umar said genome sequencing was showing a rising proportion of Omicron cases particularly in the port city of Karachi.
The rising numbers prompted the government of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province by population, to impose a state of emergency in all major hospitals on Sunday. At least 170 cases of Omicron have been reported in the province.
Life largely returned to normal after the fourth wave of the pandemic subsided in November. However, the national positivity rate of new coronavirus cases has once again been on the rise since last week.
Pakistan reported its first case of Omicron on December 13.