Pakistan reports first case of India variant

Teachers wait their turn to receive the first shot of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine in a vaccination center at a school, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, May 28, 2021. (AP)

A health worker inoculates a woman with the Covid-19 coronavirus Sinovac vaccine at the Red Crescent vaccination centre in Rawalpindi on May 24, 2021. (AFP)

A health worker shows Covid-19 coronavirus Sinovac vaccine vials at the Red Crescent vaccination centre in Rawalpindi on May 24, 2021. (AFP)

• Health officials also reported the presence of South African variant in seven COVID-19 patients in the country
• Pakistan has already banned travel to and from India in April to avoid the spread of the variant

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s health ministry on Friday reported the detection of the first case of an Indian variant of coronavirus.
That’s prompted authorities to trace those who were in contact with the patient who tested positive for the Indian variant.
Health officials also reported the presence of South African variant in seven COVID-19 patients in the country. No other information was shared by the government and it was unclear how people with Indian and south African variants ended up reaching this Islamic nation.
The Indian variant is considered more transmissible by some health experts. Pakistan has already banned travel to and from India in April to avoid the spread of the variant.
Pakistan is currently in the middle of the third wave of coronavirus that authorities say has begun to decline.
Pakistan has registered 913,784 confirmed cases and 20,607 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.