Coronavirus in Pakistan: Next three weeks could be critical, warns PMA

KARACHI: Expressing serious concerns over the worsening COVID-19 situation in Karachi and other parts of the country, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Tuesday warned that the next two to three weeks could be critical for the country.

The PMA urged the government to act quickly as Karachi’s COVID-19 positivity rate reached 40%. This number only showed registered coronavirus cases, however, the number of unregistered cases is much higher, it added.

The PMA feared that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus might change its form. It suggested the government impose a complete ban on political rallies, meetings, and sit-ins.

Strict punishments and penalties should be slapped on those who found involved in flouting COVID-19 SOPs, the PMA said.

The PMA suggested that vaccination cards should be made mandatory for entering shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants.

Pakistan's positivity ratio nears 10%

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio has almost reached 10% in the last 24 hours, a day after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced that provinces would impose new SOPs in the next 48 hours.

As many as 5,034 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours after 53,253 tests were conducted across the country, taking the positivity ratio to 9.45%, according to NCOC's Tuesday morning data.

The positivity ratio was the highest since May 8, 2021, while the daily infections were last registered below 5,034 on August 5, 2021 when the country recorded 4,745 infections.

The country also registered 10 more deaths, bumping the death toll to 29,029, official figures showed, with overall cases reaching 1.33 million after the detection of fresh infections.

Infection ratio in major cities:

• Karachi — 38.79%
• Hyderabad — 14%
• Lahore — 12.87%
• Gujranwala — 15%
• Nowshera — 10%
• Islamabad — 8.86%
• Rawalpindi — 7.60%
• Peshawar — 7.24%

All provinces will impose a new set of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and COVID-19 SOPs amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the NCOC said in a statement after its Monday meeting.

The NCOC had called a meeting of provincial health and education ministers to decide the future of schools and new NPIs as the rising cases of Omicron variant worry the authorities.