JUST as Pakistan crossed the sobering milestone of 10,000 dead from Covid-19 came the news that at least three cases of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first detected in England have been confirmed in this country. As per the Sindh health department, 12 samples were taken from UK return travellers, of whom six were found to be positive for the virus, including three with the variant, named B117. When information emerged that the first case of B117 in the UK may date back to September, meaning it has had ample time to spread to other countries, authorities in Pakistan expected it to arrive on our shores sooner or later. In order to stave off the inevitable, the National Command and Operation Centre had recommended that flights from the UK be suspended, and also issued new guidelines for passengers from the UK by restricting travel for anyone who has been in that country 10 days prior to arrival. For Pakistani citizens coming back home from the UK, the NCOC now requires a mandatory PCR test before boarding as well as after landing. These measures will be in place until Jan 4, 2021. The Ministry of National Health has reiterated that the variant does not cause a more severe form of the illness.

In a country where access to a vaccine against the coronavirus is still several months away, the very fact the contagion could spread faster — by 56pc, according to studies — is of enormous concern. People by and large are not demonstrating the level of awareness and precaution that is needed, and this can only be chalked up to ineffective public messaging on the health emergency. If more individuals get infected with B117, there would be proportionately more people requiring medical intervention, which would put further stress on our already overstretched health system. We just managed to pull back from the brink during the first wave. The new variant could signal that this time around, the worst is yet to come.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020