By News Desk
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan has seen an 80-per cent drop in coronavirus deaths but risks a spike in new cases after the upcoming Eidul Adha, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has warned.
According to government data, Pakistan saw daily virus deaths peak at about 150 in June. On Sunday, only 35 new fatalities were reported over the previous day. The country recorded 1,226 new Covid-19 infections in the country, according to official figures. Total cases and deaths are 273,113 and 5,822 respectively. Thus far, 236,434 have recovered from the disease — about 87 per cent of cases.
In a media briefing at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday, Dr Mirza told reporters about six per cent of those being tested were positive for coronavirus. “The number of deaths caused by coronavirus has dropped by 80 per cent in Pakistan,” he said.
Some observers, however, warn the numbers do not reflect the true extent of cases in Pakistan, with many people reluctant to get tested and overall testing rates still low.
Dr Faisal Sultan, who is helping lead the government’s coronavirus response, said on Sunday that only 23,000 out of an available 50,000 tests had been utilised in the previous 24 hours. The health ministry did not immediately respond to a query from AFP about why the testing rate was so low.
Many people ignored social distancing guidelines and flocked to mosques and markets during Eidul Fitr, helping fuel a subsequent surge in Covid-19 cases across Pakistan. The increase prompted the World Health Organisation to call for new lockdowns across the country.
For the upcoming Eidul Adha festival, which begins later this week in Pakistan, Mirza said people should not flock to animal markets and urged them to “buy sacrificial animals online to prevent a spike in new coronavirus cases”. “Any negligence... could make the situation worse,” he said.
According to Geo News, government advice was already being ignored in cattle markets, with families thronging markets with their children. The PM’s aide also recommended collective sacrifice to maintain social distancing.
Mirza urged the public avoid unnecessary travel during Eid holidays as those days were likely to fall in the peak period of the pandemic in Pakistan. He also urged against get-togethers which are commonplace during Eid.
He added the government had contacted religious scholars to convince people about following preventive measures during the holidays. Meanwhile, the Punjab government decided to enforce smart lockdown on Eidul Adha in light of the federal government’s directives. Punjab Chief Secretary Jawwad Malik presided over a meeting on Sunday to review arrangements for the smart lockdown and the implementation of SOPs in cattle markets. Malik said Eid shopping in markets could cause the spread of Covid-19. Keeping in view the experience of Eidul Fitr, it has been decided in the larger public interest to enforce smart lockdown on the upcoming religious festival.
