Islamabad: Pakistan lost 89 people to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, making it the deadliest day since July. The total death toll from the virus is 8,487.
The country has recently witnessed a surge in daily cases, which has swamped hospitals, as the second wave of coronavirus is raging. Political rallies, the lax attitude of people, slackened restrictions and arrival of winter have all resulted in a sharp spike in cases. Pakistan’s daily coronavirus death toll peaked on June 20 when 153 deaths were reported.
Second wave raging
The rise in number of fatalities was ample proof of the second deadly wave of COVID-19 in Pakistan, said Dr Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime minister on health. “The disastrous effects of the second wave will only be alleviated when citizens take precautionary measures. Please follow SOPs, wear masks when outdoors, avoid crowded places, frequently wash hands and keep social distancing” to help reduce the risk of the pandemic and ease the burden on healthcare system and economy.
Daily cases surging
Pakistan has witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases and fatalities in recent weeks after mid-June peak. On December 7, at least 2,885 new cases and 89 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of cases to 423,179 of which 87.5 per cent have recovered, according to the National Command and Operations (NCOC) data. Pakistan has re-imposed smart lockdowns, banned public gathering and indoor dining, and closed schools till January to contain the second wave of virus. The South Asian country has conducted nearly 5.8 million coronavirus tests with 33,600 during the last 24 hours.
Talks with China, Russia for vaccine
Pakistani health officials have contacted China and Russia as well as western countries to procure coronavirus vaccines. The Pakistan government will buy the vaccine after considering multiple factors including the vaccine’s efficacy, safety and side effects, storage requirements and cost, Dr Faisal Sultan said.
Islamabad has announced it will offer COVID-19 vaccines free of charge to citizens and has already allocated an initial grant of $150 million to purchase the doses. Last week, Pakistan’s parliamentary secretary for health, Nausheen Hamid, said that the country would begin vaccinating people by the second quarter of 2021. Nearly 10 million people, or 5 per cent of Pakistan’s population, will be vaccinated in the first phase.
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