"We expect this medicine to be effective on Omicron as on other variants,” says top official at ICCBS.

Forum says a new set of non-pharmaceutical interventions will be implemented by provinces in the next 48 hours after consultation.

AKUH doctor dies of infection; 2,348 new cases detected in city.

The scandal has generated calls for Johnson to resign, including from within his own part.

Almost 95pc of flights out of Charlotte Douglas Intl Airport in North Carolina, an American Airlines hub, were cancelled.

NCOC to deliberate on the fresh curbs needed.

"It is important to remember that any mask is better than no mask," US health agency says.

Conservative MPs say they are being deluged with messages from voters outraged at accounts of rule-breaking in Downing Street.

The tougher measures have been pushed hard by the government as it faces a wave of infections.

The NCOC has urged provinces to review the situation and decide about placing curbs on gatherings, weddings and schools.

Decision taken to strictly enforce Covid-19 SOPs and ramp up the pace of vaccination efforts across province.

80pc of country’s new cases reported from Karachi.

The megastar’s bid to avoid deportation will be heard by Australia’s Federal Court today.

NCOC says 50pc of eligible population has been fully vaccinated.

Positivity rate in Sindh is around 20pc while the provincial capital, Karachi, has a positivity rate of 28.8pc.

Doctors had appealed unsuccessfully to West Bengal state high court to reverse a decision to allow the festival this year.

The positivity rate of the virus in Rawalpindi was recorded 7.4 and in Faisalabad 1.6pc.

Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has tested positive for Covid-19.

The country reported more than 3,000 new infections for the first time in nearly four months.

NCOC abolishes centralised quarantine immediately.

Karachi's positivity jumps to 20.22 per cent; daily deaths rise to double digits for first time since December.

CM directs officials to expedite pace of vaccination.

With 40 new cases, Omicron detection rate stands at 95pc.

World Bank president worries about the “huge toll” the pandemic is inflicting on people in poor countries.

Labour party’s leader Keir Starmer accuses Johnson of “lying to the British public".

Restrictions at Games venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou will be much tighter than those during last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

China locks down millions.

Nearly 75 million people are fully vaccinated.

Says there could be a need to update existing vaccines to better target emerging variants like Omicron.

“Any mask is better than no mask. But cloth masks and then surgical masks are not as good as N95-caliber masks.”

The PM has faced a barrage of criticism over alleged parties in govt offices, including his own, in breach of Covid rules.

Appreciation certificates given to districts that have achieved target of vaccinating over 60pc of population.

There are 720 active cases in the capital, 40 admitted to hospitals and the rest home isolated.

Countries with lower vaccination rates face greater uncertainty.

A handful of other major US companies have introduced vaccination policies, including Google and United Airlines.

The situation has started worsening in Mirpur and Lahore too where the positivity ratio stands at 7.69pc and 5.33pc, respectively.

He has been confined to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne.

The Pak­­­is­tan Medical Associa­tion has said that cases of Delta variant are also increasing.

Admission of patients to hospitals also increasing.

New cases passed 100,000 on Friday and authorities in several megacities have brought in restrictions.

Reuters tally shows hospitalisations increasing steadily since late December as Omicron overtakes Delta as the dominant strain.

Of the 759 cases reported in Sindh in the last 24 hours, 650 were from Karachi.

“There is no room for complacency,” says a doctor working with the government on its coronavirus response.

"The people who are putting this mumbo jumbo on social media: they are completely wrong,” Johnson tells journalists.

An enquiry has been initiated as to how a person took so many vaccine doses on a single identity card and mobile number.

He was expected in New York on Jan 13 to attend a meeting of the Group of 77, scheduled to start on Jan 14.

Islamabad, Rawalpindi admins mulling smart lockdowns in areas with a high concentration of infected persons.

The ‘first of its kind’ campaign to be launched across the province.

Covid-19 is here to stay, it has become part of life and it might become endemic in nature sometimes, she says.

Minister says immediate focus is on scaling up pace of vaccinations and placing restrictions on those who refuse vaccines.

Patients belonging to Peshawar have no travel history.

"A stage will soon come when 80 to 90 per cent of the cases will constitute cases of the Omicron variant,” says Dr Saeed Khan.

“As for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off,” the French president said in an interview.

Highest number of Covid cases reported since October 14.

Health dept spokesperson says the minister is taking necessary precautions and has placed herself under home quarantine.

Pakistan has recorded over 300 cases of the Omicron variant, most of which have been reported in Karachi.

The state-run National Health Service is struggling with staff forced to stay at home after testing positive.

Daily caseload was the highest since early September and experts suspect the Omicron variant has begun to overtake Delta.

Vaccination will be mandatory for all inbound passengers of over 15 years of age with a negative PCR report before boarding.

The rolling average over seven days — which experts see as more reliable — was 486,000 cases per day as of Monday evening.

The infection ratio in the city has touched 3.8.

Of 351 tests carried out by Sindh govt, 175 samples were found infected with Omicron.

Fifth wave is being driven by Omicron variant and "spreading at a great pace", says NCOC in meeting to review current situation.

DG NHS says booster doses of choice will be administered to citizens.

There were 122 fresh infections reported on Sunday in the city — the lowest since December 25, and down from 174 on Saturday.

Leading clubs across Europe, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, have been depleted by coronavirus infections.

28pc of Pakistanis feel pandemic is over.

Police set up barriers at various places to check vaccination status of those entering Times Square.

The positivity rate had remained less than 1pc for almost two months.

Of the new cases, 48 were detected in Lahore and only one in Bahawalpur.

The lockdown will be imposed in the streets and houses of the specified area and will remain effective till Jan 14.

The pandemic again dominated life for most of humankind in 2021.

NCOC denies sending emails to citizens in which it asked them to get registered for availing booster dose.

There have been 803 deaths of people aged 0-18 years from Covid-19 in US, out of more than 820,000, since the pandemic began.

Authorities say they will reimpose “social distancing requirements between worshippers and pilgrims”.

Amid declining incidence, virus kills one, affects 36 more.

30 samples from Rawalpindi sent to NIH for detection of Omicron variant.

The touring party has now registered seven positive cases.

Thirty per cent of the country's total population has been vaccinated.

Governments are walking a tightrope between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep societies and economies open.

Several other Spanish clubs have reported Covid cases but no match has yet been postponed.

The huge numbers of infected persons mean that hospitals in some countries may soon be overwhelmed.

Coronavirus cases in the region are mounting, and experts say the next few months will be critical.

James had posted an image in which he appeared to question the difference between Covid-19 and the flu and common cold.

The point is to highlight a truth that we absolutely must face as the year ends: the way we did things is gone forever.

China has not relaxed its “zero Covid” strategy, imposing stay-at-home orders in many parts of the city of Yan’an.

Member of Covid-19 task force suggests govt should tighten restrictions and limit the number of participants in indoor events.

Karachi has 33 cases, Islamabad has 17 and Lahore 13; the remaining 12 cases are associated with international travel.

“His condition is stable, there is no cause for alarm at the moment,” doctor says.

The study found that people who were infected with Omicron developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant.

Deadline given for staff to be vaccinated by January 5.

Omicron has forced economists across the globe to cast a shadow of doubt on the ongoing global economic gro­wth recovery.

The first dose coverage for Covid-19 vaccine has increased from 45pc to 55pc in the province, say officials,

It is the first time since 1937 that the country’s population grew by fewer than one million people.