The UK, South African, and Brazilian variants of COVID-19 have been found in Sindh, provincial Minister of Health and Population Welfare, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, has confirmed.
According to details, Agha Khan University (AKU) Hospital performed a genomic study on 13 different samples of Coronavirus. The UK variant was detected in 10 samples while South African and Brazilian samples were detected in 1 sample each. The original strain of COVID-19 was detected in 1 sample.
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In a video message, Dr. Azra termed the development as alarming and said that these variants have high transmissibility and fatality rates, adding that these strains are not vaccine responsive either because efficacies of COVID-19 vaccines against these variants have not been determined yet.
She requested the public to avoid crowded spaces, social distancing, and unnecessary travel and adhere to COVID-19 SOPs otherwise, a humanitarian crisis similar to India can erupt in the province as well.
South African & Brazilian variant of COVID-19 found in samples taken by AKU. This is an emergency as these variants are not vaccination responsive either. Therefore it is important for everyone to take all necessary precautions & take this seriously. #SindhHealth pic.twitter.com/F6IRNDTyBQ
— Health, SW, PHE & RD Department, Sindh (@SindhHealthDpt) April 30, 2021
