A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF COVID’19 STRAINS IN PAKISTAN

2022-09-05 2022-10-31 2022-11-25 9/29/2024 6:12:25 AM Journal of Applied Molecular Cell Biology 9 2022 Review article 1 13 2022 dx.doi.org/10.21065/24122580.9.1 English Sohaib Imtiaz , Samreen Riaz COVID-19, Corona-Virus, SARS-CoV-2, Outbreak COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China is the December of 2019. Ever since then, cases have started springing up in all parts of the world. What start as a disease occupying a particular part of China, progressed to other provinces, nations and then continents. By the time March 2020 began, most of the world had already been exposed to the virus and were initiating lock down modes. It was not long before Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and SOPs were implemented to contain the virus. The emergence of the Omicron variant in Pakistan marked the beginning of 5th wave in Pakistan. Initially the influx was more but then since the vaccination phases started, the transmission of virus on a community level started reducing owing to the herd immunity. The decrease in the number of Omicron positive patients was due to the mass-level immunization strategy of the government. Furthermore, travel restrictions and social gatherings were limited. SOPs were implemented and followed by people. That is why Pakistan was able to cope up with the 5th wave better than most nations and the 5th wave disappeared as quickly as it had originated.The emergence of Covid’19 and its subsequent strains have put the human life as well as social set-ups in jeopardy. With each passing day, the virus propagates in various parts of the world, causing a lot of people to die while others remain infected and struggle to survive. Due to mass immunization programs, billion doses of Pfizer and Moderna have been administered due to which the 5th wave of SARS-CoV-2 has been contained. The lifestyle has returned to normal as WHO and UNICEF has ensured the dispatch of vaccines to all parts of the world. However, despite the preventive measures, we must continue to do research and explore different avenues especially the development of liposome-based mRNA vaccines. The more we know about new therapeutic approaches, the more we are prepared for combating the air-borne viruses and taking appropriate measures timely. Extensive research about all types of variants and their prevalence in Pakistan can help us highlight the areas that were most affected by the pandemic. In future, we can be prepared in case of re-emergence of any viral strains and how to tackle them. This way millions of lives can be saved by implementing SOPs and administrating therapeutics timely.