With the Delta variant wreaking havoc as the dominant strain of the deadly Covid-19 virus in Pakistan, the number of active cases reached 92,244 on 25 August, exceeding 90,000 for the first time since the peak of third-wave earlier this year.
As many as 141 patients lost their battle for life on that day, touching the highest tally of deaths in a day in almost four months. The surge is being ascribed to increased mortality from Delta variant seen almost entirely among unvaccinated people, adding new urgency to the task of accelerating vaccination.
Vaccination
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) – the nerve centre of the country’s fight against Covid-19 pandemic has informed that The government has managed to administer a total of 49,883,211 doses of coronavirus vaccine. All the vaccination centres are fully functional and there is no shortage of coronavirus vaccine in the country.
Threatening situation
The health experts are of the view that there is no immediate relief in sight and the fight against fourth wave of the pandemic would continue unless the positivity rate decreases to a satisfactory level. The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are witnessing rising number of cases and the situation is critical in Chitral where infection rate has risen to 17. The overall positivity rate is 7.4 but the coronavirus disease is hitting the major cities having high density of population, which is a matter of grave concern for all the stakeholders.
Tougher restrictions
The federal government has announced that a single dose vaccination is necessary for travelling on highways and motorways after September 15 while after October 15, no one would be allowed to use the motorway without vaccination. The vaccination has been made mandatory for air travel after September 30 while those working in transportation of educational institutions must take their doses before the date. The unvaccinated people have been barred to enter shopping malls from
August 31. From September 30, only those people having taken their both jabs will be allowed to enter shopping malls. Only those people who have taken one jab are allowed to enter hotels from August 31 while complete vaccination will be mandatory for entry from September 30.
Mobile vaccination service
The Punjab government has started utilizing mobile units to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to the people. Senior citizens who are 80 years and above and those with disabilities over 50 years of age are already receiving service at their doorstep.
Booster dose
The government is considering initiating booster after six months of second shot to above 50-year frontline healthcare workers and it is likely to start from October 1. The second category under consideration for a booster shot is fully vaccinated immunocompromised people and if permitted, they could get the booster jab six months after their complete vaccination. But the officials have also clarified that booster dose would not be available for general public because the government is currently focusing on giving first and second dose to the people.
Young population
The government will soon start vaccination for the age group of 15 to 16 years. The immunocompromised citizens of the age of 12 years and above would get special recommended Covid-19 vaccine at the mega vaccination centres.
Fake vaccination certificates
As the Covid-19 delta variant spreads and the pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, some people are now having an easier time getting around restrictions related to vaccination status–by purchasing fake vaccine cards online. The fake vaccination certificates are being offered on at least two online websites in Pakistan. According to the information posted on these websites, the applicant should transfer Rs. 8,000 to a specific account number and fake vaccination certificate would be sent to him two hours after receiving the
money. The government has developed an app to help people and officials identify fake coronavirus vaccination certificates. The app, named Pak Covid-19 Vaccination Pass App, can instantly confirm whether an inoculation certificate is genuine or fake.
More doses
Pakistan has received 3.7 million more doses of Pfizer vaccine from the United States and a plan is under way to vaccinate as many people as possible in next four months. Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid said they have set the target to vaccinate forty percent of population of Lahore in near future. Currently, there is no shortage of coronavirus vaccine anywhere in the country. The limitations and gaps sometimes create problems as we had seen in the recent past when shortage of vaccine hit major cities in the country.
Non-implementation of SOPs
There is not a single town, city or province in Pakistan where the people are following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) introduced by the government. Unfortunately, the federal and provincial governments think it advisable to pay only lip service and avoid taking any serious action against shopkeepers and visitors who are ignoring their directives in the face of ongoing fourth wave of pandemic.
A regular threat
The coronavirus is a reality and it will stay for quite some time but vaccination is the only solution to this threatening disease.
We know that low literacy rate and general lack of awareness initially led to non-seriousness of people towards the adoption of social distancing, wearing facemask and hand hygiene. The high population density in major cities of Pakistan also facilitated in the spread of virus.
The ongoing situation underlines the need that the government should continue to follow three-pronged approach of trace, test, and treat that would help prevent the community transmission and save lives of the people.
