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By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said on Friday that the coronavirus cases in the country are expected to rise to 225,000 till the end of June, cautioning that the virus threat was still not over.
The federal minister was addressing media personnel, along with Information Minister Shibli Faraz where he said that as per an earlier estimate, 300,000 cases were expected nationwide till June 30.
Umar said that when the number of COVID-19 cases surged, people started following preventive measures. “There were two weeks when the big hospitals in major cities faced pressure,” he said, cautioning that if the SOPs are not followed then the situation can deteriorate.
The government has increased its facilities with more beds and ventilators, which gives us hope for the coming days, said Umar, adding that on June 14, authorities disclosed the facts before the public, and presented the estimate for the end of the month.
The minister said that they took into consideration experts’ opinions and implemented a smart lockdown in areas with higher number of COVID-19 cases.
Paying tribute to healthcare workers and those on the frontlines fighting the pandemic, he said, “Doctors and paramedical staff are busy for our protection.
“It is our responsibility to help the front-line workers by playing our part.
It is not a very difficult thing to do, we just need to have a sense of responsibility. If we do this, our health system would not be paralysed,” he added.
Collectively, it is in our hands to fight the virus while listening to health experts and their advice, he said. The minister stated that the smart lockdown was implemented from mid-May and in 20 cities the pandemic seemed to be spreading at a rapid speed. Asad Umar said that fortunately, things seemed to be in control at the moment.
“This has given us a lesson that we can control the situation if we want to by taking the required measures on time. I have given directions for data collection for the coming months of July and August and will take decisions according to it.”
Earlier this month Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the cases of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan would hit a peak by the end of July or start of August.
In his address, he also warned of “a very difficult time” ahead if people continued to ignore the standard operating procedures (SOPs). Appealing to the citizens to follow precautionary measures, PM Imran said not ollowing the precautionary measures “will cause harm to the country”. The lockdown to curb the spread of the respiratory illness does not end it but only slows it down, the premier explained.
As of today, Pakistan recorded 195,745 cases of the virus with more than 3,900 deaths. Planning Minister Asad Umar on Friday said that the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), after reviewing recent Covid-19 figures, believes that the number of nationwide cases by the end of June will be 225,000 or less.
Earlier, the government had predicted that there would be around 300,000 cases by the end of this month. Umar, while addressing the media alongside Information Minister Shibli Faraz, said that the reduction in the projected figures “proves that if we all do the right thing and everyone performs their duty on an individual level while the government does its job on a communal level, a significant success in curbing the spread can be seen”.
Detailing the reasons behind the reduction in figures, Umar said: “Most people realised their responsibility. Not everyone realised [their responsibility] and as a result, the government had to take some administrative measures. “As a result, we are now looking at 225,000 cases instead of 300,000 which we initially feared.”
He also explained some measures taken by the NCOC to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. On May 30, the body issued a guideline, deeming it compulsory to wear a mask at crowded places. A week later, on June 4, the NCOC issued directives to the provinces to administrative action in order to implement the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid out by the government. The provinces share data with the NCOC twice a week, Umar said.
On June 14, the NCOC told provinces to expand ‘smart lockdown’, which Umar said had been in place since May. The body pointed out the ‘hostpots’ — areas where a cluster of cases had been detected — in 20 major cities which needed to be sealed. Umar said that while the governments had to take strict action to implement the guidelines, many citizens took precautionary measures after they witnessed the rise in cases. He cautioned that the reduction in projected figures “does not mean the danger had passed”. “It is a reminder that if we take the right measures, God will protect us and if we don’t, situation can worsen.” He said that the body was in touch with the modellers and in a week, the government will inform the nation about what the situation would be by the end of July if the current measures stay in place. The minister acknowledged that pressure on big hospitals in major cities was high for two weeks earlier. The current scenario, however, “does not seem to be getting to a position where our health system would collapse”.
He urged the people to realise their responsibility towards the doctors and healthcare workers who are risking their health and fighting for the nation in this difficult time by taking precautions.
“If we continue to take these measures, our businesses will keep running and life will not come to a halt,” he said.
Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said on Friday that according to the latest projections the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan may rise to 225,000 by the end of the current month, warning the people that the threat from the pandemic was far from over.
Addressing the media along with Information Minister Shibli Faraz, Asad Umar said that as per an earlier estimate, 300,000 cases were expected nationwide till June 30. He said that when the number of COVID-19 cases surged, people started following preventive measures. “There were two weeks when the big hospitals in major cities faced pressure,” he said, cautioning that if the SOPs are not followed then the situation can deteriorate.
The government has increased its facilities with more beds and ventilators, which gives us hope for the coming days, said Umar. The minister said that they took into consideration experts’ opinions and implemented a smart lockdown in areas with a higher number of COVID-19 cases. Paying tribute to the healthcare workers and those on the frontlines fighting the pandemic, he said, “Doctors and paramedical staff are busy for our protection. “It is our responsibility to help the front-line workers by playing our part. It is not a very difficult thing to do, we just need to have a sense of responsibility. If we do this, our health system would not be paralysed,” he added.
Collectively, it is in our hands to fight the virus while listening to health experts and their advice, he said. The minister stated that the smart lockdown was implemented from mid-May in 20 cities where the pandemic seemed to be spreading rapidly. Asad Umar said that fortunately, things seemed to be in control at the moment. “This has given us a lesson that we can control the situation if we want to by taking the required measures on time. I have given directions for data collection for the coming months of July and August and will take decisions according to it.”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the cases of the deadly coronavirus in Pakistan would hit a peak by the end of July or start of August. In his address, he also warned of “a very difficult time” ahead if people continued to ignore the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Appealing to the citizens to follow precautionary measures, PM Imran said not following the precautionary measures “will cause harm to the country”. The lockdown to curb the spread of the respiratory illness does not end it but only slows it down, the premier explained. As of today, Pakistan recorded 195,745 cases of the virus with more than 3,900 deaths.
As many as 1,150 fresh coronavirus cases were detected in Sindh in the past 24 hours after 5,103 tests conducted in the province. Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah in a statement on the coronavirus situation said that the total number of infections across the province has soared to 76,318 as the province conducted a total of 4,14,248 tests. He said that 27 more patients of coronavirus died in the last 24 hours across the province, taking death toll from COVID-19 to 1,205.
