Authorities in Pakistan confirmed that the country is grappling with the third COVID-19 wave, and attributed the rise in cases to the UK strain of COVID-19 virus. 

“Yes, there is no doubt that the third wave has started, and basically, the phenomena that are driving it is the spread of the UK strain," Pakistan’s Federal Minister Asad Omar was quoted as saying by Dawn. 

Omar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre, the body that manages the COVID-19 crisis, said most cases are coming from the districts where the Pakistani-British community lives. "We then asked NIH to carry out genome sequencing, after which it became evident in northern Pakistan, including Islamabad," he added. 

He further said, “We had suspected at that time also that the spread is due to the UK strain, and now research has also proven it."

"This is a really dangerous situation developing as of now and the same is happening in other parts of the region, including Bangladesh,” he added.  

Last month, authorities lifted almost all restrictions following which it saw a sudden spike in cases. Earlier this week, authorities in Pakistan reimposed several restrictions, including the closure of schools in some major cities and slashing the workforce in offices.