Asad Umar warns to lock down more sectors if SOPs ignored

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Wednesday once again warned that the government would have to close down more sectors amid rising cases of COVID-19 and non-compliance of the SOPs.

Addressing media conference after chairing the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting here, the minister said that the nation was not observing SOPs as much as it did during the first wave of the pandemic.

"If we will not take it (the pandemic) serious, I fear that after a couple weeks, the situation can become so worst that we will have no other choice but to close down more sectors. The most dangerous move is that some political parties are insisting to arrange big public gatherings despite ban on assembly of more than 300 people at one place."

He said Pakistan had successfully fought against the coronavirus during its first wave with the efforts of the armed forces, the government, civil administration, media, Ulema and with greater contribution of the general public.

Asad Umar pointed out that the world institutions including World Economic Forum and United Nations had praised the Pakistan government policies during COVID-19. But, he said this was not the only responsibility of NCOC to look back and see what had happened in the past but the prime responsibility was that "We should look forward" as the NCOC has been mandated to safeguard the nation's health and employment.

By the mid of October, the minister maintained that the NCOC presented recommendations before the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting. By mid of October, the positivity ratio was only two percent, however, by last week it increased to 8.7 percent. He said by that week, only 8 people were dying daily, however the number of daily casualties due to COVID-19 had increased to about 60 people per day. Similarly, he said the ratio of COVID patients being admitted and on oxygen had also increased by 400 percent.

The minister said that during the second wave, the government had to announce early winter vacation of education institutions, which restricted movement of over 50 million students and two million teachers.

"The government knows that the businesses related to education, marriages, and hotels got hampered but the decision was inevitable to stop further spread of coronavirus. He informed that keeping in view the loss of businesses of selected sectors, the government was also mulling over preparing a relief package for such sectors.

Meanwhile, the total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Wednesday were recorded 45,324 as 2,963 more people tested positive for the deadly virus during the last 24 hours. Sixty corona patients, 57 of whom were under treatment in hospital, while three patients died out of the hospital in their respective homes on Tuesday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

During the last 24 hours most of the deaths had occurred in Punjab and followed by Sindh where increase in the number of critical patients was observed in Punjab mainly Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi and followed by Peshawar.

It added that out of the total 60 deaths during last 24 hours 39 patients died on ventilators. No COVID-19 affected person was on ventilator in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), while 348 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,765 allocated for COVID-19 patients.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 63 percent, ICT 49 percent, Peshawar 41 percent and Lahore 36 percent.

The oxygen beds (oxygen providing facility other than ventilator as per patient's medical requirement) were also occupied in four major areas as in ICT 61 percent, Multan 47 percent, Peshawar 46 percent and Abbottabad 37 percent.

Some 38,092 tests were conducted across the country on Tuesday, including 11,242 in Sindh, 15,691 in Punjab, 4,051 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,719 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 604 in Balochistan, 406 in GB, and 379 in AJK.

Around 372,271 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan, making it a significant count with over 86 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 426,142 cases were detected so far, including AJK 7,427, Balochistan 17,540, GB 4,761, ICT 33,420, KP 50,506, Punjab 124,804 and Sindh 187,684. About 8,547 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion, including 3,081 Sindh among 20 of them died in hospital and one out of hospital on Tuesday, 3,242 in Punjab, 22 of them died in hospital and two out of hospital on Tuesday, 1,429 in KP, 10 of them died in hospital on Tuesday, 345 in ICT four of them died in hospital on Tuesday, 169 in Balochistan, 98 in GB and 182 in AJK.

A total of 5,865,944 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 613 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 3,030 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, the national COVID-19 positivity ratio on Wednesday recorded 7.78 percent, where 2,498 coronavirus patients were in critical condition across the country with the number of critical patients rising at a fast pace.

The highest positivity ratio was observed in Karachi which was 21.80 percent followed by Hyderabad 19.03 percent, Mirpur 13.16 percent and Rawalpindi 13.03 percent, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

The positivity ratio in various federating units was as in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was 9.8 percent, Balochistan 6.5 percent, Gilgit Baltistan (GB) 3.7 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 6.3 percent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 10.6 percent, Punjab 3.9 percent and Sindh had 13.1 percent positivity ratio.

It also mentioned the province wise COVID positivity ratio breakdown that indicated in Punjab, Rawalpindi had 13.03 percent, Faisalabad 3.15 percent, Multan 2.01 percent and Gujranwala 0.24 percent.