ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the people to follow coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), warning that the number of cases in the country are rising at an alarming rate.
“This third wave of Covid-19 is more lethal than the previous ones and I advise everyone to take precautions [against Covid-19] particularly wearing face mask,” the premier, who was himself infected with coronavirus earlier this month and is in self-isolation, said this in a recorded message on Sunday.
However, the prime minister again ruled out the option of imposing a complete lockdown in the country, saying the government does not have enough resources to afford the economic cost of the business shutdown.
He said that hospitals in different parts of the country are nearing their capacity as those who returned from England have spread the new variant of coronavirus which is highly contagious. He urged the masses to avoid going places which are termed superspreaders of the virus like wedding ceremonies, restaurants and other enclosed spaces.
The prime minister, while disclosing the reason as to why he was infected with the virus, admitted that he flouted the SOPs during the recently-held Senate elections. “Allah has been so kind to me and my wife [Bushra Bibi] but this virus can prove very dangerous if it enters into the human chest,” said the PM while warning the public about the deadly virus.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan’s tally for confirmed cases has reached 654,591, with at least 4,767 cases being reported during the last 24 hours. Moreover, the country’s death toll now stands at 14,215 after it recorded 57 fatalities in the last 24 hours. The country still has 3,043 patients in critical condition. As per the Covid portal, a total of 595,929 patients have recovered from the virus in Pakistan so far.
Separately, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan has said that Prime Minister Imran has made steady recovery from Covid-19, nearly a week after he contracted the virus.
“PM Imran Khan has made steady clinical recovery from Covid and his lab parameters have remained stable,” the SAPM said in a tweet on Sunday.
“He has been advised that he may resume work and build up his work routine over the next few days. This is in line with national and int’l guidelines,” Dr Faisal added.
Earlier on March 20, Dr Faisal confirmed that the premier had tested positive for coronavirus, adding that he had been isolating at home. The news came two days after PM Imran was vaccinated against the virus. Following the development, the Ministry of National Health Services clarified that the premier was “not fully vaccinated” when he contracted the virus.
The ministry had added that only the first dose of the vaccine was administered, which was “too soon for any vaccine to become effective”. It maintained that antibodies against the virus develop two to three weeks after the second dose of the vaccine is administered.
On March 25, the prime minister chaired a meeting of the party leadership in person to take stock of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s decision to take a rally to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in response to a call-up notice.
Soon after that, Senator Shibli Faraz shared a photo of himself, Premier Imran, SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfikar Bukhari, Standing Committee on Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Chairman Faisal Javed and SAPM on Media Yusuf Baig Mirza on Twitter.
