What can Pakistan do to stop a second wave of COVID-19 from destroying the country?

[MenInG]

Pakistan has recorded 42 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours - the highest since mid-July. This brings the country's death toll to 7,603.

The country also reported the highest single-day tally in four months as 2,843 people tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total number to 371,508.

So far 328,931 patients have recovered from the virus while the number of active cases stands at 34,974.

Over 17,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported across the country in the past week while more than 490 lives lost.

 

[MenInG]

Criticising the Pakistan Democratic Movement for its insistence on holding a jalsa despite rising coronavirus cases in Peshawar, Prime Minister Imran Khan accused opposition leaders of "playing reckless politics with people's safety".

"The same PDM members who wanted a strict lockdown and criticised me earlier are now playing reckless politics with people's safety," the premier tweeted early Saturday.

"They are even defying court orders and holding a jalsa when [coronavirus] cases are rising dramatically," he added.

Peshawar coronavirus positivity rate at 13.39%
The premier was quote tweeting Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar.

Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), had tweeted earlier that the COVID-19 positivity rate in Peshawar had touched 13.39% on Friday. He said there were 202 patients in critical care in the provincial capital, out of which 50 were on low flow oxygen while 134 on high flow and 18 on ventilators.

"14 new critical patients arrived just yesterday," he continued. "PDM response: we will be safe on the stage so who cares what happens to citizens."

Read more: For the first time in four months, Pakistan's single-day coronavirus death toll crosses 40 mark

PDM not backing down
The statements from the government came after the Opposition decided it would push ahead with the Peshawar jalsa at Peshawar's Dalazak Road, Ring Road Chowk despite the city administration denying permission for a gathering there on Friday.

The notification issued by the deputy commissioner's office said the matter was considered by the district administration and capital city police under Section 14 of the KP Civil Administration Act 2020. The government officials did a field assessment and held a meeting with the jalsa organisers.

But, citing a November 2 notification issued by the KP government banning large public gatherings owing to the rising coronavirus positivity rate in the community, the deputy commissioner denied permission to hold the jalsa "after considering all aspects, and to safeguard human lives due to potential spread of COVID-19."

However, the PDM is not ready to back down. Its media coordinator, Abdul Jalil Jan, said the PDM rally will be held as planned on November 22.

He added that they will not tolerate any sort of ban from the Peshawar district administration. Jan said holding the rally is their fundamental right under the Constitution and law.

 

[MenInG]

Khadim Hussain's funeral.

What hope is there now of not spreading infection?

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The same PDM mbrs who had wanted a strict lockdown and criticised me earlier now playing reckless politics with people's safety. They are even defying court orders & holding a jalsa when cases are rising dramatically. <a href="https://t.co/nc9KAN0Ihg">https://t.co/nc9KAN0Ihg</a></p>— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1330028743998525440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Mamoon]

Things are getting really bad.

Pretty much worse than March-June, and the problem is that most people are not taking this second wave seriously because they did not get infected in the first wave.

The authorities also need to get their act together because the wedding season is in full swing and there is no one to regulate this madness.

Families of the deceased who have died of COVID are arranging full-scale funerals and people are attending without hesitation.

Pakistan got lucky in the first wave but it appears that our luck is running out this time. If people are not careful, the next 2-3 months could be disastrous.

 

[Mamoon]

The worst part is that politicians and government officials are not careful either. If these people are showing negligence then you cannot blame the common man who still think this is a hoax.

 

[Arsal_AK]

- Learn from other countries all around the world. Those who did well and those who didn't.

- A full lockdown for areas with really positivity ratio. A couple of weeks in isolation is better than the disaster that will follow if we are not careful.

- Carry on with what they are doing in terms of smart lockdown. It cannot harm and did seem to do good last time around.

- Full usage of masks. Now there are pper reviewed studies that indicate that mask usage does help. It's cheap and effective. And even in cases where they don't prevent you from catching the virus, they do lessen the viral load you come in contact with. And studies have shown that the load matters when it comes to disease prognosis. But this needs to come from the top. When you PM is being idiotic and is taking pictures with the dozens of people without any PPE, you can hardly blame the common man.

- Back to basics. Which to be fair people were doing during the initial days. The first wave being less severe seems to have put the wrong idea in poeple's head that we are special. The hubris that we are has been strong since as far as I can remember, hence it's not shocking that we have managed to pull the pandemic under that umbrella as well. And this is again the politicians fault. Other institutions are not behind. For perpetuating this nonsense everywhere. No, we don't have some amazing pre existing defence. No, being a young country doesn't mean we won't suffer severe consequences. And no, just because we belong to a certain faith the virus won't spare us.

- Finally, they need to secure orders for vaccines. That is the only way at this point to get rid of this thing. The Chinese ones don't seem to be that good. But still better than nothing. There are others from China which are better but I don't think they are near finishing their phase there trials. We can get a good number of vaccines by the first quarter of 2021 if we get a move on now.

 

[globalcitizen]

there are only 2 ways to minimise the infection in second wave, awareness and hygiene.. i am afraid those are alien things for most countries including Pakistan.
Unless this happens it will just be wave after wave !!

 

[MenInG]

Things are getting really bad.

Pretty much worse than March-June, and the problem is that most people are not taking this second wave seriously because they did not get infected in the first wave.

The authorities also need to get their act together because the wedding season is in full swing and there is no one to regulate this madness.

Families of the deceased who have died of COVID are arranging full-scale funerals and people are attending without hesitation.

Pakistan got lucky in the first wave but it appears that our luck is running out this time. If people are not careful, the next 2-3 months could be disastrous.

Friends in Agha Khan saying no more beds left for Covid patients.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The capital has the highest utilisation rate for hospital beds reserved for Covid-19 patients.

Officials of the district administration told Dawn that 362 beds, excluding ventilators, were reserved for patients in 12 hospitals. On Saturday, there were 240 patients admitted to these hospitals with the bed utilisation rate of 66.2pc.

Punjab has 10.1pc utilisation rate as out of the 8,624 beds reserved in 242 hospitals for the infected people, 877 were occupied.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

Owing to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country over the past few weeks, the Punjab government has decided that it will not allow the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to hold jalsas in Lahore in Multan, sources told Geo News.

 

[Bewal Express]

Owing to the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country over the past few weeks, the Punjab government has decided that it will not allow the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to hold jalsas in Lahore in Multan, sources told Geo News.

Don't stop them forcibly because it will just lead to violence, just fine each person on stage 10 crore, use the money to treat the patients.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The worst part is that politicians and government officials are not careful either. If these people are showing negligence then you cannot blame the common man who still think this is a hoax.

Probably best just to let the virus run it's course. When people start dying and there are no hospital beds available, they might start to take it seriously.

 

[MenInG]

A meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed on Monday that hospitalisations due to Covid-19 in Pakistan have doubled in the last two weeks while the positivity ratio had increased to 7.46 per cent in the last 24 hours.

According to the government's database for tracking the spread of coronavirus in the country, 2,756 cases were confirmed on Nov 22, resulting in a positivity rate of 7.46pc.

The NCOC was informed that Azad Jammu and Kashmir has the highest Covid-19 positivity rate at 11.45pc, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 9.85pc, Sindh at 9.63pc, Islamabad at 8.09pc, Balochistan at 7.73pc and Gilgit-Baltistan at 5.23pc. Punjab has the lowest positivity rate in the country at 3.95pc.

According to the statement, the NCOC was also told that the number of infections had risen in several cities in Pakistan, including Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad in Punjab; Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh; Peshawar, Abbottabad and Swat in KP; Mirpur in AJK; Gilgit and Islamabad.

 

[MenInG]

Sindh reported 1,322 new coronavirus cases and 16 deaths, in the last 24 hours - 10,837 tests were conducted during the same period for an infection rate of 12.2%

 

[MenInG]

Indoor dining banned at restaurants in Karachi from tomorrow

Restaurants in Karachi will not be allowed to offer indoor dining services starting tomorrow, city Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shallwani has said.

Eateries will only be permitted to serve customers in open areas.

Shallwani directed deputy commissioners to ensure enforcement of the restriction, saying it will help control the spread of the coronavirus.

 

[The Viper]

Sindh govt introduces new measures to contain 2nd wave of coronavirus

1. No indoor dining at restaurants
2. Ban on indoor marriages - only outdoor with limit of 200 ppl till 9 pm
3. Govt & pvt offices to follow 50% work from home policy
4. Markets to close at 6 pm & Fri & Sat

 

[IAJ]

I have heard many brits have taken the virus to AJK, especially Mirpur. If true then it’s a dangerous development.

 

[Syed1]

Staying ahead of the game. I hope the vaccine is rolled out before the new year. The second wage is ravaging through the country. Getting 3000 new cases and about 50 deaths every day.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today we signed an MOU with Pfizer to establish Vaccination Centers across Pakistan. <a href="https://t.co/aCnQl6CEqN">pic.twitter.com/aCnQl6CEqN</a></p>— Dr Omar Chughtai (@OmarChughtai) <a href="https://twitter.com/OmarChughtai/status/1331220782563942400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Just hope vaccines dont become a status symbol - just the rich get it!

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 3,009 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 382,892. With 59 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 7,803. So far, a total of 332,974 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 42,115.

With 41,583 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 7.2%.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

1,348 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Sindh in the past 24 hours

12,159 tests were carried out during the same period

Infection rate 11.08%

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a press talk in Lahore on Wednesday, once again appealed to the masses to cooperate with the government and take precautions so that people's livelihoods are not affected by restrictions.

He said that the authorities were "worried" about increasing pressure on hospitals and medical staff due to the spike in cases.

The premier, however, ruled out a lockdown, saying that the government does not want "people to die due to hunger while protecting them from coronavirus". He added that the country's exports had finally picked up and the government does not want to hurt them again by shutting down factories and businesses.

He said that the country was able to overcome the situation in June, when Pakistan saw its first peak, by "coming together and taking precautions" and urged the public to do the same again.

Noting the rapid increase in the number of daily deaths due to the virus, the prime minister said that people should avoid large gatherings as close contact increases the spread of Covid-19.

Responding to a question regarding mass rallies held by opposition parties, the premier said: "Nothing will come of these rallies and gatherings, no one will get an NRO. They (opposition) are endangering people's lives."

Pakistan has confirmed more than 382,000 cases including over 7,800 deaths since the virus arrived in late February.

'Far more lethal'
Intensive care units across Pakistan are nearing capacity as a second, deadlier wave of the coronavirus builds momentum and officials struggle to counter public indifference to the pandemic.

Several doctors told AFP on Wednesday that hospitals are having to turn away suspected Covid-19 patients, with the potential for a major health care crisis increasing daily.

“The coming two weeks are critical and our situation is going to worsen,” said Qaisar Sajjad, secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association.

“Around 95 per cent of the beds are occupied. Only a few hospitals still have capacity — but most of the hospitals are full and refusing to take more patients.”

Sajjad said the virus was proving “far more lethal” this time around.

Authorities this week ordered the closure of educational institutes and banned indoor dining at restaurants.

Prime Minister Imran's government, which never imposed the sort of sweeping lockdowns seen in wealthier countries, had boasted of controlling the virus but is again urging people to follow safeguards.

The new outbreak has surprised Pakistan, where for months many have been saying the pandemic was done.

Compared to neighbours Iran and India, Pakistan dodged the worst of the pandemic's first wave, something health experts have said was due partly to the young population and the fact many Pakistanis travel little around the country.

By contrast India, with a population five times the size, has recorded about 17 times more deaths.

Faisal Sultan, the prime minister's special assistant on health, said the “death ratio” — the number of people with Covid-19 who die from the disease — was rising, and officials warn that more and more people are testing positive.

“The current wave of Covid-19 is more lethal,” Sultan said.

“The pandemic is fast spreading and we should all be concerned”.

Pakistan's relative nonchalance toward the virus — and the government's inconsistent messaging to stop it — was highlighted on Saturday when several hundred thousand men massed in Lahore for the funeral of hardline cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

The firebrand had died suddenly after suffering from fever and breathing difficulties, but no virus test or autopsy were performed.

Most mourners were not wearing masks and the government, which fears upsetting conservative Pakistan's powerful religious right, said nothing.

Since mid-October, massive crowds have also gathered at opposition rallies in major cities including Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar, with most attendees flouting mask rules.

In Lahore, Khizer Hayat, who chairs Punjab province's Young Doctors Association, said ventilators were running short and critical care units were full.

“Coronavirus is at its worst right now in Pakistan,” Hayat said, urging the government to impose full lockdowns.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1592334/p...concern-over-increasing-pressure-on-hospitals

 

[Gabbar Singh]

1,348 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Sindh in the past 24 hours

12,159 tests were carried out during the same period

Infection rate 11.08%

Those testing figures are really poor, almost comical if the issue wasn’t so serious. They should be testing 100s of thousands a day.

Why is Pakistan not making use of the Army (to do the door to door testing like what’s happening in certain parts of the UK) and it’s links to China (to obtain the testing equipment) and ramping up the testing?

 

[ahmedzee]

So far in every country this second wave has been worse than the first. In Canada we are recording record cases and deaths.

 

[Syed1]

So far in every country this second wave has been worse than the first. In Canada we are recording record cases and deaths.

Yet things are alot more chill than the first wave. Perhaps people just stopped taking corona seriously now that it has been around for a good 9 months or so.

 

[IndoorCricket]

Yet things are alot more chill than the first wave. Perhaps people just stopped taking corona seriously now that it has been around for a good 9 months or so.

Please got used to it. But this is the time to be more careful.

 

[ahmedzee]

Yet things are alot more chill than the first wave. Perhaps people just stopped taking corona seriously now that it has been around for a good 9 months or so.

The only country that has seen COVID-19 in winter is China. Every other country is experiencing it now in Winter and they can see how deadly it is.

 

[globalcitizen]

This is unprecedented situation around the world. Looks like the things are going to be same in 2021

 

[MenInG]

HYDERABAD: With 114 new coronavirus cases reported in the past 24 hours, Hyderabad's case positivity rate stands at 20%.

Read more: COVID-19 positivity rate crosses 15% in Hyderabad, Multan, Gilgit

Data provided by the district administration showed 458 samples were tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, out of which 114 came out positive. So far, the virus has claimed 112 lives in the district.

 

[Savak]

I am personally bitter at the so called powerful west, with so much advancement in health care and facilities, its been a good 7-8 months since Covid came along and they still have not been able to figure out the disease. What good are their scientists, doctors, research and development and their so called advancement if they still have been unsuccessful in combating the virus?

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I am personally bitter at the so called powerful west, with so much advancement in health care and facilities, its been a good 7-8 months since Covid came along and they still have not been able to figure out the disease. What good are their scientists, doctors, research and development and their so called advancement if they still have been unsuccessful in combating the virus?

Looks like we’ll have a covid vaccine rolled out less than 12 months from the pandemic being declared - what else did you want them to do?

 

[MenInG]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday announced that meals will no longer be served during domestic flight operations in the country.

The new coronavirus SOPs have been issued by the NCOC in the wake of surging cases of the infection. More than 3,300 people tested positive for the virus on Thursday.

“No meals to be served during all sorts of domestic flight operations. Compulsory wearing of masks by all passengers and the flight crew through the flight,” read the notification by the CAA.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 386,198 on Thursday after 3,306 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours across the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 9:00 am, November 26, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 386,198

• Sindh: 167,381

• Punjab: 116,506

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 45,828

• Balochistan: 16,942

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 28,555

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,583

• AJK: 6,403

Deaths: 7,843

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,344

• Punjab: 2,923

• Sindh: 2,866

• Balochistan: 165

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 96

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 297

• AJK: 152

More than 60,333,049 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,420,462 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally.

 

[MP2011]

I am personally bitter at the so called powerful west, with so much advancement in health care and facilities, its been a good 7-8 months since Covid came along and they still have not been able to figure out the disease. What good are their scientists, doctors, research and development and their so called advancement if they still have been unsuccessful in combating the virus?

It's not child's play to prepare a vaccine especially for a pandemic as deadly as Covid. It takes years and years of R&D, millions of dollars, extensive testing and hard work to prepare one.

 

[MenInG]

Islamabad, AJK and GB collectively report 538 Covid cases, 11 deaths

Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan have collectively reported 538 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths during the last 24 hours.

Breakdown of cases and death reported:

Islamabad: 425 cases, 8 deaths
GB: 15 cases
AJK: 98 cases, 3 deaths

Punjab reports 654 coronavirus cases, 22 deaths

Punjab has reported 654 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths.

The provincial total has risen to 117,160 while the death toll is 2,945.

Balochistan records 66 Covid cases, no new deaths

Balochistan has recorded 66 coronavirus cases. No new deaths have been reported in the province over the last 24 hours.

The provincial total has risen to 17,008 while the death toll remains 165.

Pakistan reports more than 1,400 Covid-19 recoveries

Pakistan has reported 1,489 coronavirus recoveries during the last 24 hours, according to the government's portal for tracking the spread of the virus in the country.

The total has risen to 335,881 while the recovery rate is 86.3 per cent.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan reports more than 3,000 cases for 3rd consecutive day

Pakistan has reported 3,113 cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, making it the third day in a row that the country has recorded more than 3,000 infections, data from the government's Covid-19 portal shows.

The highest number of cases were reported by Sindh, followed by Punjab. Following is the number of cases reported by each region over the past 24 hours:

Sindh: 1,402

Punjab: 654

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 453

Balochistan: 66

Islamabad: 425

Gilgit-Baltistan: 15

Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 98

 

[MenInG]

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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-spacewrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIFIuWMB8by/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-stylermal; font-weightrmal; line-height:17px; text-decorationne;" target="_blank">A post shared by Wasim Akram (@wasimakramliveofficial)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Urging the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to call off its scheduled public gatherings in view of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan categorically said the government would not give permission to the opposition to hold its rallies in Multan and other cities.

“The coronavirus is spreading dangerously, therefore the opposition should postpone PDM public meetings,” Mr Khan said while talking to his spokespersons at the Prime Minister House.

Quoting the prime minister, a participant of the meeting said: “The government will strictly enforce standard operating procedures and not allow the opposition to hold rallies as the health guidelines did not permit large gatherings.”

Some of the spokespersons suggested that those attending public meetings be sent behind bars.

Criticising the opposition, the prime minister reiterated that he would not give any National Reconciliation Ordinance-like concession to the opposition leaders no matter how many rallies they staged.

The PDM has so far held four public meetings against the government in Gujranwala, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar while two are scheduled for Nov 30 and Dec 13 in Multan and Lahore, respectively.

Talking about the recent thawing of relations between Israel and some Muslim countries, Prime Minister Khan reiterated that Pakistan would not recognise Israel until the Palestinians were given their due rights.

He said his government would follow Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s policy regarding recognition of Israel.

Corporate farming

PM Khan called for corporate farming to boost local production and keep prices of agricultural products down.

Presiding over a meeting with the country’s leading industrialists and businessmen, the prime minister sought proposals from them to modernise the agriculture sector and enhance production of various crops to launch corporate farming on a large scale.

He said prosperity was linked with the development of the business community, adding that facilitating industries and promoting trade activities was the government’s responsibility.

He said industrialists’ proposals had been included in policymaking which had started yielding good results.

The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to resolve the issues being faced by the industrialists in the export of products.

The delegation included Azam Farooq (Cherat Cement), Bashir Ali Mohammad (Gul Ahmed), Mohammad Ali Tabba (Lucky Cement), Saqib Shirazi (Honda Atlas), Fawad Mukhtar (Fatima Fertiliser), Arif Habib (Arif Habib Group) and Hussain Dawood (Engro Corporation).

Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, advisers to the prime minister Abdul Razak Dawood, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Dr Ishrat Hussain as well as senior officials attended the meeting.

The delegation thanked the prime minister for patronising trade activities and said the highest level of foreign exchange reserves was a reflection of stability.

The delegation members expressed their satisfaction over the availability of the government’s economic team for guidance and informed PM Khan that surplus current account was a welcome sign for national economy.

They said the demand for cement was the highest in the country’s history due to promotion of construction activities, which had generated immense employment opportunities during the pandemic.

PM meets Barrister Sultan

Prime Minister Khan said the next dialogue on resolving the Kashmir dispute would be trilateral.

During his meeting with former Azad Kashmir (AJK) prime minister and PTI AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood, Mr Khan said under the UN resolution, Kashmiri people, Pakistan and India were the three parties to the dispute while the final decision on the issue was to be taken by the Kashmiri people.

“Pakistan will continue to stand by the Kashmiris facing atrocities at the hands of the Indian occupation troops,” he added.

PM Khan said Pakistan would also continue raising its voice on every international forum to expose the brutal face of India and highlight the blatant human rights violations being committed in India-held Kashmir.

He said efforts would be made to mobilise world opinion in favour of the Kashmiris who were waging a struggle to achieve their internationally recognised right to self-determination.

During the one-on-one meeting, Barrister Sultan Mehmood congratulated the prime minister on PTI’s victory in the recently held Gilgit-Baltistan elections and briefed him on preparations for the upcoming AJK elections, political situation and party’s organisational matters.

Prime Minister Khan said the election campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan had been launched with a delay, adding that this would not be repeated in the AJK elections.

He directed Barrister Sultan to immediately start the election campaign.

Mr Sultan thanked the prime minister for his government’s decision to provide Imdad health card to every citizen of Azad Kashmir and invited him to visit Muzaffarabad himself to launch the scheme.

The invitation was accepted by the prime minister and it was agreed that a ceremony will be held in the next few days.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2020

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 3,045 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 392,356. With 54 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 7,942. So far, a total of 337,553 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 46,861.

With 48,223 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 6.3%.

 

[MenInG]

 

[MenInG]

The coronavirus positivity rate in Pakistan climbed to 8.5% on November 29, data issued by the National Command and Operations Centre showed on Monday.

A total of 2,839 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, raising the total tally to 398,024.

The virus claimed 40 lives on Sunday, bringing the national death toll to 8,025. There are 2,046 patients under critical care while 2,543 patients are hospitalised. Out of the 1,757 ventilators allotted for COVID-19 across the country, 300 are occupied.

With 1,613 people recovering from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the national tally stands at 341,423.

 

[Varun]

Since the beginning, Pakistan have barely been doing enough testing.

They peaked at some ~100,000 active cases in the first wave which is proportionally far, far lower than what it should be, looking at India or Bangladesh or similar countries.

 

[MP2011]

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIFIuWMB8by/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); widthlc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIFIuWMB8by/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decorationne; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-spacewrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIFIuWMB8by/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-stylermal; font-weightrmal; line-height:17px; text-decorationne;" target="_blank">A post shared by Wasim Akram (@wasimakramliveofficial)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

lol, he himself isn't wearing any mask! Practice what you preach, Wasim!

 

[MenInG]

Sindh reports 1,336 new cases, 11 deaths from Covid-19
1,336 new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Sindh, taking the provincial tally to 174,350, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

Eleven more people lost their lives due to the virus, with Sindh's death toll climbing to 2,935.

A total of 13,169 tests were carried out during the last 24 hours in Sindh, according to Shah.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 398,024 on Monday after 2,839 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours across the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 9:00 am, November 30, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 398,024

• Sindh: 173,014

• Punjab: 119,035

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 47,190

• Balochistan: 17,158

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 30,123

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,649

• AJK: 6,855

Deaths: 8,025

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,368

• Punjab: 2,991

• Sindh: 2,924

• Balochistan: 166

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 97

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 314

• AJK: 165

More than 62,677,879 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,458,587 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 2,458 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 400,482. With 67 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 8,091. So far, a total of 343,286 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 49,105.

With 40,969 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 6%.

 

[pakistani pride]

Pakistan has much more serious issues to handle. Stop following and posting numbers, if you like it so much post about the average number of deaths overall in PAK (8.000 every day). Even if the people wanted to follow the rules and regulations of prventing covid - 19 even then its impossible.

Pak as a country can simply not afford it.

 

[Zaz]

lol, he himself isn't wearing any mask! Practice what you preach, Wasim!

Are u serious? Hes alone in the morning with his mrs getting some exercise There isnt another person 100s of meters from him

 

[Bewal Express]

If wealthy and educated countries have failed, PK has little chance. IK has done an incredible job so far to hold it at bay but the 2nd wave will kill lots of people. The irony is that politically the opposition have taken the pressure off him with their crass stupidity and badniyaati as they have told everyone that its not an issue. As i said at the time, educate and keep educating but hope that people listen.

 

[MenInG]

Smart lockdown imposed in 5 areas of Peshawar

Five areas in Peshawar have been placed under smart lockdown, according to a notification issued by the Peshawar deputy commissioner.

The areas are:

Streets 7-11, Sector E-VI, Phase VII, Hayatabad
Streets 1, 1-A and 2, Sector N-IV, Phase IV, Hayatabad
University Town area, bound by Circular Lane, Park Road and Old Jamrud Road
Hayatabad Industrial Estate, bound by Industrial Estate Road, Wazirdund Canal, National Highway 5, Polyfine Chemfarma Road
Peshawar Cantt area, bound by Gulberg Road, Stadium Road and Qayyum Sports Complex
According to the notification, the lockdown will be imposed from 6pm today and will remain in place until further orders. During the lockdown, all gatherings will be prohibited, shops other than those of essential services will remain closed and congregations in mosques will be limited to five people.

 

[MenInG]

AJK positivity rate highest in the country with 14.5pc

Azad Jammu and Kashmir has recorded the highest positivity rate in the country, with 14.5pc of the cases turning out to be positive. AJK is followed by Sindh, where the positivity rate is recorded to be 10.1pc.

Positivity rate recorded in provinces and federation units:

Sindh: 10.1pc

Punjab: 3.5pc

Balochistan: 9.4pc

KP: 3.8pc

Islamabad: 4.3pc

GB: 2.6pc

AJK: 14.5pc

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reported at least 2,829 new COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours as a rapid increase in the number of infections continues.

According the latest stats released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), at least 35,197 people were tested, of whom 2,829 tested positive for the virus. The positivity rate now stands at 8.04%.

The death toll recorded in the last 24 hours is the highest in a single day since July 9. So far, 8,166 people have succumbed to the virus in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, 345,365 patients have so far recovered, of whom 2,079 have made a recovery in the last 24 hours. There are now 49,780 active cases in the country.

 

[MenInG]

Amid a rise in Covid-19 infections and deaths, Pakistan on Thursday reported almost 3,500 daily cases, its highest since July 2, when 4,087 cases were recorded.

According to data from the government's portal for tracking the spread of the virus in the country, 3,499 coronavirus cases were reported in Pakistan on December 2.

Breakdown of cases and deaths reported on December 2:

Sindh: 1,983 cases, 6 deathsPunjab: 727 cases, 25 deathsIslamabad: 417 cases, 5 deathsKhyber Pakhtunkhwa: 218 cases, 3 deathsAzad Jammu and Kashmir: 85 casesBalochistan: 53 casesGilgit-Baltistan: 16 cases

With the new cases, the national tally has risen to 406,810. Meanwhile, 39 coronavirus deaths were also reported, taking the countrywide toll to 8,205.

 

[MenInG]

PESHAWAR: Major government and private hospitals in Peshawar have run out of beds for coronavirus patients due to a surge in cases, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

Culture and labour minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai told the house that two government-run tertiary healthcare facilities in Peshawar, including Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital, and a private hospital had exhausted their capacity to accommodate Covid-19 patients and currently, only the Lady Reading Hospital was receiving such patients.

He said the pandemic had plunged the global economy into recession, while the second wave of the virus had put health system under pressure in the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The minister said though the Covid-19 positivity rate was on the rise, the opposition parties were organising rallies against the government in the country.

 

[MenInG]

[VIDEO] PM Imran Khan presents 10-point agenda for recovery from pandemic at the UNGA

[utube]https://youtu.be/Vpm44b2Tetk[/utube]

UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Imran Khan presented a 10-point agenda for urgent action before the UN General Assembly on Thursday, underlining the measures the international community needs to take to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first item on his list is a request for debt suspension till the end of the pandemic for low-income and most affected countries.

The second one is the suggested “cancellation of debt of least developed countries” that are no longer in a position to repay their loans.

Other items on the agenda include: restructuring of the public sector debt of other developing countries under an agreed inclusive multilateral framework; a general allocation of special drawing rights of $500 billion; expanded concessional financing to lower income countries through multilateral development banks; and creation of a new ‘liquidity and sustainability facility’, which should provide short-term loans at lower costs.

The agenda also includes a reminder to rich nations to fulfill 0.7 per cent of their official development assistance commitments and mobilising the required $1.5 trillion annual investment in sustainable infrastructure.

The prime minister also urged the international community to help meet the agreed target of mobilizing $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries.

He also called for immediate action to stop the massive illicit financial outflows from developing countries to rich countries, to offshore tax havens.

Mr Khan also suggested immediate return of assets stolen by corrupt politicians and criminals back to these countries.

The UN General Assembly held a special session on the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, as proposed by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, chairman of the non-aligned movement.

Addressing the session, Prime Minister Khan described the Covid-19 pandemic as “the most serious global crisis since the Second World War”.

The virus has infected nearly 65 million people and killed close to 1.5 million.

“Today marks an overdue and much-needed moment of reckoning. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, what was to come,” said the General Assembly’s president, Volkan Bozkir, while opening the two-day gathering.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “it is time to reset”, the global response to crises like this. “As we build a strong recovery, we must seize the opportunity for change,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2020

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's recoveries cross 352,000

Pakistan's recoveries from the coronavirus have risen to 352,529 after 2,224 more people recovered from Covid-19.

However, 2,441 virus patients are in critical condition, according to the government's portal.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 3,119 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 413,191. With 44 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 8,303. So far, a total of 352,529 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 52,359.

With 41,115 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 7.59%.

 

[MenInG]

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday said that 3308 people tested positive for COVID-19 on December 5, taking the country's tally to 416,499.

As of December 6, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 53,126. Throughout the country, 41,645 tests were conducted on December 5, while 58 people succumbed to the disease during the last 24 hours.

So far, 355,012 people have recovered from the infection in the country.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 420,294 on Monday after 3,795 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours across the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 9:00 am, December 7, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 420,294

• AJK: 7,356

• Balochistan: 17,466

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,732

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 32,816

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 49,676

• Punjab: 123,762

• Sindh: 184,486

Deaths: 8,398

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,413

• Punjab: 3,177

• Sindh: 3,019

• Balochistan: 169

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 98

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 341

• AJK: 181

 

[MenInG]

Punjab recorded 807 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours - the first time that it reported over 800 cases since July

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan records 89 fatalities from coronavirus, highest daily toll in over 5 months

Pakistan has recorded 89 more fatalities from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the highest daily total since July 4 when the country reported 93 deaths.

Sindh and Punjab have both recorded 41 deaths while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported six and Azad Jammu and Kashmir confirmed one more fatality.

 

[MenInG]

Asad warns of more restrictions in coming weeks if coronavirus situation does not change

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has warned that the government could impose more restrictions in the coming weeks if the coronavirus situation did not change and cases and deaths continued to increase.

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar addresses a press conference in Islamabad. — DawnNewsTV
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Umar said that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had observed that people were not following precautionary measures against the virus as carefully as they did during the pandemic's first wave.

"If we still do not make better decisions, if we do not decide to deal with the [coronavirus] the way we did in the first wave — uniting and cooperating to combat the pandemic — then it pains me to say the situation might be such in a week or two that we have no option but to enforce restrictions on more sectors."

He said that the forum would propose in tomorrow's meeting of the National Coordination Committee that a relief package be announced for the sectors on which restrictions have been placed.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 3,138 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 429,280. With 56 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 8,603. So far, a total of 374,301 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 46,376.

With 40,202 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 7.81%.

 

[MenInG]

A total of 3,047 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 432,327. With 50 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 8,653. So far, a total of 379,092 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 44,582.

With 42,596 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 7.15%.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan

A total of 2,729 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 435,056. With 71 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 8,724. So far, a total of 381,208 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 45,124.

With 41,426 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 6.58%.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Federal minister Asad Umar Thursday rejected the possibility of a complete lockdown in case Pakistan experiences a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister, speaking at the oath taking ceremony of the newly appointed members of the National Youth Council (NYC), said he feared the fourth wave of the virus will start in the month of July.

He rejected the possibility of a complete lockdown if the fourth wave of the pandemic takes ahold of Pakistan.

Umar, however, said Pakistan will impose smart lockdowns across the country (as it had done before) to counter the virus, in case cases of the infection once again shoot up across the country. He added that the strategy had proven effective in stemming the spread of the virus in the past.

The minister said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), through a letter, informed the Kashmir Election Commission about violation of coronavirus SOPs during the ongoing election campaigns.

Umar praised the government's tackling of the coronavirus, saying that it had received international praise as well. He cited Pakistan's inclusion in the Economist’s Normalcy Index--that determines which countries are returning to their pre-pandemic levels--at number three.

The NCOC chief urged people to continue observing coronavirus SOPs and get themselves vaccinated so that Pakistan can cope with the fourth wave of the pandemic effectively.

PM warns of a fourth COVID-19 wave

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged the masses to strictly observe the government's mandated COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the occasion of Eid ul Adha to keep the virus at bay.

PM Khan had warned the nation about the dangers of the Delta variant — which first emerged in India — and said that India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Indonesia are currently suffering because of it.

"Given the current situation in countries like Afghanistan, where there is an acute shortage of oxygen, I would like to say a few things to the nation," the PM had said.

He had said that so far, Allah has been very merciful towards Pakistan and even foreign publications like The Economist has listed Pakistan as one of the top three nations that were able to control the pandemic in an efficient way.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

Seems like its coming back again

==

Pakistan is witnessing another surge in Covid-19 cases as 171 confirmed cases were reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the past 24 hours.

The rise in active cases in different cities has risen, with 57 coronavirus patients in critical care at present. No deaths have been reported so far.

The national positivity rate stands at 1.53 per cent, whereas that of Sindh has been recorded to be as high as five per cent.

 

[MenInG]

Covid-19 rears its ugly head again as the country has reported the highest number of cases over the past around 80 days, with the positivity ratio in Karachi and Hyderabad surpassing 10 per cent.

National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) member Dr Shahzad Ali Khan said the rising number of cases showed that effectiveness of the vaccine was reducing because of the time lapse and suggested that people go for the booster shots.

He said possible reasons for the upsurge are waning of vaccine immunity after six months, avoiding booster doses, virus mutations into more virulent type causing higher infectivity, going back to almost normal lifestyle in crowded places in Karachi, Hyderabad and Islamabad, increasing international and local travelling, less care by people about social distancing and masks, and seasonal pattern like flu as Covid-19 belongs to the same flu family.

According to NCOC data, 171 cases of Covid-19 were reported from across the country on Monday and the positivity rate was 1.53pc. Fifty-seven patients were on critical care. The country reported 238 cases on April 8.

According to the data, the positivity ratio was 16.67pc in Hyderabad and 10.08pc in Karachi on Monday. Mirpur reported over 5.26pc positivity, while the cities recorded over 2pc included Islamabad, Muzaffarabad and Mardan.

The data showed that 259,286,753 doses of vaccine have been administered so far. As many as 124,721,404 people have become fully vaccinated and 15,825,367 got booster doses.

Dr Shahzad Khan, while talking to Dawn, said the increase in the number of cases was a proof that effectiveness of the vaccine was decreasing due to time lapse.

“Vaccine boosts immune system, but with the passage of time its effectiveness reduces and that is why it has been suggested that the masses should be administered booster dose,” he said.

“Moreover, there is also a possibility that the virus has further mutated just like a variant Omicron’s transmissibility was very high but it was less virulent. Even if virus has been mutated, there is a need to get booster dose of the vaccine as it will increase the immunity level,” he said.

He said continuous mutations in Coronavirus, which is a ribonucleic acid virus, had been observed. “Moreover, the whole country has been opened and restrictions on businesses and tourism have been lifted. I believe this has also increased the spread of the virus. People should strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures, wear masks and get them vaccinated,” said Dr Khan, who is also Vice Chancellor of Health Services Academy.

Dawn

 

[daytrader]

Allah Pak reham kare as I fear that the PDM government is incompetent to tackle COVID successfully. They had restored NCOC but no other steps since