Islamabad, Dec 28 (PTI) A total of 75 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been detected in Pakistan, the health authorities said on Tuesday, urging the people to get vaccinated.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) said a maximum of 33 Omicron cases were found in Karachi, where the first Omicron-infected patient was detected on December 13.

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"As of December 27, a total of 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed; 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore," the NIH said in a statement, adding that the remaining 12 cases were associated with international travel.

The patients are out in isolation and the authorities have started tracing those who came in contact with them.

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The NIH also said that vaccination and observance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) were the best defence against COVID-19, despite the mutations being reported.

It also said all government approved COVID-19 vaccines were available in Pakistan.

“The government urges everyone to get both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as well as the booster dose as per the eligibility criteria and process," the statement said.

Planning Minister Asad Umar warned last month that the arrival of the Omicron variant was inevitable and a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Pakistan in the last 24 hours reported 291 new cases, taking the tally of confirmed infections to 1,294,031, while another three patients died in this period, pushing the COVID-19 death toll to 28,912.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)