The federal government seems to be trying its level best to ring the alarm bells regarding a possible fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the country. Will the rise and fall of the virus in different waves has become something of a norm, it presents a greater threat on this occasion because of the different variants that are spreading their way through the country.
On top of the government’s concern list is the Indian origin Delta variant, which has been popping up in Pakistan more regularly. Head of the National Command and Control Center (NCOC) Asad Umar has said that a fourth wave is in the offing for sure, with the government already ruling out the possibility of a complete lockdown.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that there are clear signs of a fourth Covid-19 wave starting in Pakistan. In a message on Twitter, the minister said: “Two weeks ago, I had tweeted that our artificial intelligence models are showing the possible emergence of a fourth wave. Now there are clear early signs of a fourth wave starting.” Umar blamed poor compliance with coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) and spread of virus variants, particularly Delta variant that was first detected in India, for the looming fourth wave of Covid-19.
In the face of such conditions, it is more important than ever for the public to respond with social distancing and mask wearing. This has been stressed over and over through the course of the pandemic but it can clearly not be stressed enough because compliance continues to stay low. Pakistan might face a harsher sentence in terms of a fourth wave, because the already low number of people have been vaccinated with either Sinopharm, Sinovac, or Cansino – vaccines that have proven less effective for the new variants.
Already some measures have been taken. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday announced that unvaccinated people will not be allowed to travel by air starting August 1. In its review of the measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, particularly in view of the impending spread of the Delta variant, which it termed “extremely dangerous”, the NCOC also declared it mandatory for adult students to get themselves vaccinated by August 31.
Now, it will be incredibly important for the public to step up. So please wear your masks, wash your hands regularly, stay socially distanced, do not leave home unnecessarily, and most importantly get vaccinated.
