KARACHI:
Concerns about the presence of the Delta variant of novel coronavirus in Pakistan are turning out to be real. More and more cases of the highly contagious strain are being reported in the country which is now in the grip of a fourth wave of the pandemic, according to many an expert. Last week, health officials in Punjab confirmed 28 cases of Delta variant in Rawalpindi. Also, this past Tuesday, Sindh health department said that 35 people had been down with the lethal variant in Karachi alone, including five members of a family from the city’s Lyari neighbourhood. The most alarming news has, however, come from the Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary, Dr Nausheen Hamid. During a recent television interview, she dropped a bombshell, revealing that half of the daily Covid-positive cases in the country have been found to be of Delta variant.
While the vaccination process is continuing in the country, so far only 4.3 million people – or just about two per cent of the population – have been vaccinated fully, as against the target of 70 million. People, however, still don’t care about any SOPs. Majority of the public roam in markets and other crowded places without a face mask, and avoid social distancing and hand-washing. We must not forget that 55 per cent of the coronavirus deaths in India were caused by Delta variant. We must adopt safety precautions so as to avoid an India-like situation in our country.
I request the relevant authorities to speed up the vaccination drive, do whatever they can to ensure public compliance with the prescribed SOPs and enforce smart lockdowns wherever needed. I also request every individual to cooperate with the authorities.
Shaneela Naseem Shahrakhi
Turbat
Published in The Express Tribune, July 17th, 2021.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
