Corona goes berserk as 59 more die

ISLAMABAD: The total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Wednesday were recorded 42,115, as 3,009 more people tested positive during the last 24 hours.

Fifty-nine patients – of whom 54 were under treatment in hospitals – died on Tuesday, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

No affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan, while 303 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,801 allocated for COVID-19 patients.

Around 41,583 tests were conducted across the country on Tuesday, including 11,738 in Sindh, 15,298 in Punjab, 5,426 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 7,158 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 794 in Balochistan, 310 in GB, and 859 in AJK.

Around 332,974 patients have recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a total of 382,892 cases have been detected so far, including 6,316 in AJK, 16,891 in Balochistan, 4,573 in Gilgit Baltistan, 27,979 in ICT, 45,314 in KP, 115,786 in Punjab and 166,033 in Sindh.

Around 7,803 deaths have been recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,858 in Sindh of whom 10 died in hospital on Tuesday, 2,904 in Punjab of whom 25 died in hospital, 1,339 in KP of whom nine died in hospital, 291 in ICT of whom six died in hospital, 164 in Balochistan of whom one died in hospital, 96 in GB of whom one died in hospital, and 151 in AJK.

A total of 5,297,703 corona tests have been conducted so far.

Meanwhile, several doctors told AFP on Wednesday that the beds were full and hospitals were refusing to take more 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 the Pakistan Medical Association’s Secretary General Qaisar Sajjad. “Around 95 percent of the beds are occupied. Only a few hospitals still have the capacity – but most of the hospitals are full and are 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 institutions and banned indoor dining at the restaurants.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. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said the “death ratio” was rising, and officials warn that more and more people are testing positive.

“The current wave of Covid-19 is more lethal. The pandemic is fast spreading and we should all be concerned,” Sultan said.Khizer Hayat, who chairs the Young Doctors Association in Punjab, 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.