Epsilon: New COVID-19 Variant Emerges In Pakistan

KARACHI: Health authorities recently announced that cases of a new variant of COVID-19 known as Epsilon have started emerging in Pakistan.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 554 new cases and 12 casualties in a single day when the alarm was sounded over Epsilon, a Californian variant of the deadly virus.

“This variant originated in California, hence it being named the California strain or B.1.429,” said Dr Junaid Akram, member of the COVID-19 Task Force, adding that it also invaded the United Kingdom and various other countries in the West.

“Cases are being reported all over Pakistan, with five variants and seven mutations of Epsilon recorded overall. This makes it more infectious.” he continued. Dr Akram further elaborated that around 40 patients are confirmed to be affected by the strain through gene sequencing, but this is an estimated number. “Gene sequencing has not been performed on every patient,” he added.

“It is crucial to remember that while the disease onslaught has been controlled, the virus itself hasn’t been eradicated. Hence, there are chances of it coming back,” he stated.

Dr Akram said that the silver lining in this situation was that all vaccines were effective against Epsilon. Therefore people should get vaccinated as soon as possible and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) strictly.

The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) and NCOC released a video that explained how Covid-19 vaccines worked. Said video shows how the antibodies produced by the immunisation acted like soldiers and protected the body.

Meanwhile, the national positivity ratio is currently at 1.31 per cent, with 1,783 patients in critical condition.