ISLAMABAD - As the fast-spreading third wave of Coronavirus is stretching medical infrastructure to a breaking point in the country, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Wednesday warned that the authorities will have no other option but to place the big cities under lockdown if people don’t observe the SOPs and intensity of the wave is not broken.
He said the country may have been days away from having serious measures in place if the Covid-19 situation continued on the same trajectory. “Let me make it clear. The pace at which the virus is spreading and our hospitals are filling up [...] if we don’t act now, we will have no choice but to close down major cities,” he warned. He opined that further restrictions will need to be imposed. “We are hopeful we will not have to take this ultimate step if the public cooperates and shows seriousness and if the administration is able to play its part. Otherwise, we might not have a choice,” he said and added “This is the last chance as there was a margin of a few days.” He said that major cities were not being closed down right now.
Addressing the media after chairing a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the minister who also heads the NCOC, urged the nation to understand the gravity of the situation. “Take care of yourself and your fellow Pakistanis. The situation needs to be taken seriously,” he appealed.
He said that the Coronavirus situation in the country has become extremely serious. He said that the NCOC has taken decision on further restrictions which would be shared with the provinces. He told the media that the steps will most likely to be announced tomorrow. He also appealed to the chief minister of each province to inform the public of the gravity of the situation.
Centre reports 5,499 new cases with 148 deaths in 24 hours
Listing the positivity rates reported from across major cities of the country, the minister said yesterday, the positivity rate in Mardan was 33 percent, 26 percent in Peshawar, 20 percent in Nowshera, 38 percent in Bahawalpur, 25 percent in Faisalabad, 27 percent in Lahore, 21 percent in Multan and 28 percent in Rawalpindi. The positivity rate in Karachi and Hyderabad was 13 percent and 14 percent respectively. The minister explained that due to a rise in Covid-19 cases, there had also been an uptick in patients going to the hospitals. He said the number of patients visiting hospitals on a daily basis has risen from between 100 to 150 to over 600. He said during the peak of the pandemic in June last year, the country had approximately 3,400 patients on oxygen. This means there has been a 30 percent increase since the first wave of the pandemic.
Umar said there are some cities across the country where 80 percent of ventilators are in use. “This means if a city has 100 ventilators, 80 of them are being used,” he said. “We are making a huge mistake by not following SOPs,” he added. He made it clear that it was last chance to break the chain of daily virus cases otherwise; the country would be undergoing strict restrictions.
5,499 new Covid-19 cases, 148 deaths in 24 hours
The country on Wednesday recorded 5,499 new Coronavirus cases, taking the country’s Covid-19 tally to 772,381. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the country’s death toll climbed to 16,600 after 148 more people succumbed to the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to the data. Meanwhile, 5,488 patients recovered from the deadly disease in a day, taking total recoveries to 672,619. According to the NCOC, total active Covid-19 cases across the country were reported to be 83,162.
According to the NCOC, the highest number of ventilators occupied in the country was found to be in Mardan with 91 percent occupancy, followed by Gujranwala with 88 percent occupancy, Multan at 85 percent, and Lahore at 81 percent. The NCOC further reported that the highest number of oxygen bed occupancy in the country was in Gujranwala at 85 percent followed by Peshawar at 71 percent, Nowshera at 68 percent and Swat at 66 percent.
About 47,301 Covid-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours out of which 11,341 were conducted in Sindh, 21,293 in Punjab, 8,026 in KP, 4,388 in Islamabad, 1,248 in Balochistan, 219 in GB and 786 tests were conducted in AJK. Out of the total 16,600 reported deaths so far, there had been 4,559 deaths in Sindh, 7,664 in Punjab, 2,953 in KP, 649 in Islamabad, 225 in Balochistan, 104 in GB and 446 in AJK.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Covid-19 tally is 108,462 and the death toll has risen to 2,953.Balochistan provincial tally is 21,127 while the death toll remains 225. Punjab reported more than 100 virus deaths for second straight day on Wednesday. Punjab has reported 2,969 Coronavirus cases and 103 deaths during the last 24 hours. This is the second day in a row the province has reported more than 100 Coronavirus deaths. A day earlier, the province had recorded 104 fatalities. The provincial total has risen to 276,535 and the death toll is 7,664.
The country Wednesday reported 5,488 Coronavirus recoveries, according to the portal for tracking the spread of the disease in the country. The total has risen to 672,619 and the recovery rate is 87.1 percent.
Vaccination for citizens of 50 to 59 years age
The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Wednesday started vaccination of senior citizens of age 50 to 59 years across the country as per procedure being adopted for other age groups.
According to an official of the ministry, for registration, citizens of this age group should send SMS with computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number to 1166 from any mobile number or visit the website of the National Immunization Management System (NIMS) which is nims.nadra.gov.pk
He said that the vaccine centre and date will be communicated through SMS as per schedule while citizens can get complete information about the vaccination process while using NIMS’s website with having facility of registration for vaccination also.
He said that foreign nationals can register for the Covid-19 vaccination programme on the provision of a passport number along with a valid mobile number to check whether the information is available on NIMS website for registration for vaccination.
He said that there was a walk-in facility for senior citizens of above 65 years at the nearest vaccination centre to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Citizens of this age group can send their CNIC number through mobile number to 1166 to get registered, he added.
He said that senior citizens of age 60 to 64 years can also SMS their CNIC to 1166 from any mobile number or visit nims.nadra.gov.pk for registration. He added the vaccine center and the date will be communicated to them through SMS.
He said that all missing healthcare workers can register themselves and their vaccination centre and date will be communicated through SMS.
He said that special arrangements have been made at the Tarlai center for senior citizens and disabled persons with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO). He said that a special vaccination counter has been set up at Tarlai for senior citizens above 80 years and persons with disabilities.
He said that senior citizens walk-in registration has been introduced for above 65 year age citizens and now they can visit for vaccination from all listed vaccination centers.
The official said that senior citizens have expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements and available facilities for them at the Corona vaccination center. He assured further improvements in other vaccination centers to properly guide the senior citizens.
He said that keeping in view the interest of senior citizens for COVID vaccination, the staff and number of centers are being increased.
He urged the healthcare workers and those eligible to get vaccinated to protect themselves as well as their loved ones. The vaccinations will be done in reverse order by age which means the oldest person who has registered will be vaccinated first, he added.
He said that once registered, the eligible citizens will be informed about the vaccine centre and the date of vaccination through a text message. He said the government has completed training of vaccinators and other related staff while software has been developed for having daily figures of vaccination activities.
He said that this time was not of any complacency rather strict compliance of SOPs. “COVID-19 is a deadly virus but we can control it just as we controlled it by following the SoPs during the previous waves.”
He said that the government was seeking full cooperation of the citizens in adhering to the SoPs. “We can save precious lives including those of our near and dear ones by taking preventive measures.” He asked the citizens to wear a mask, maintain social distance, wash hands with soap frequently and avoid crowded places.