Over the last two months Pakistan has faced the wrath of the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of infections as well as fatalities has jumped up steadily across the country. The number of active cases in the country crossed the 91,046 mark on Tuesday while critical cases surged to 5,513. By Monday, the pandemic caused death toll in Pakistan to peak past 25,000. Ninety-one people passed away due to the infection over the next 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 25,094.
During the last three waves of the pandemic the country lagged behind in vaccination because orders for vaccines were placed late. Had China not come to Pakistan’s rescue with vaccine donations, the people would have suffered much more. The CNOC’s strategy centered around SOPs that included wearing facemasks in pubic, frequent hand washing and social distancing. The government however failed to make the majority of the population comply with the SOPs. Public gatherings during Ramzan, Eid festivals and Muharram majalis and processions invariably multiplied infections. Political rivalries between the PTI and PPP led to rival strategies, the first opting for smart lockdowns and the latter going for total lockdown whenever cases began to climb.
Fears are now being expressed by the scientific community that the slow pace of vaccination might lead to the emergence of some sort of vaccine-resistant virus. This has led to a belated realization of the urgency of high-speed vaccination. The Sind government closed down schools till parents and teachers were fully vaccinated and government employees were told they would not get their pay without a vaccination certificate. It was also announced that the SIMs of the smart phones used by unvaccinated people would be blocked
Islamabad remains the only city among 25 others with a population of over a million to have surpassed the 40 percent vaccinated population. To accelerate the vaccination campaign, a complete two-dose vaccination has been made compulsory for air travelers by the end of September. The NCOC has meanwhile lowered the age for Covid-19 jabs to 15 years.
Had the government acquired a sufficient number of vaccines soon after the Covid-19 spread, most of the population would have been vaccinated by now and there would have been fewer pandemic-caused deaths and far lesser economic losses.
