Punjab records 437% spike in coronavirus cases since March 20

People’s non-serious attitude, poor preparedness major reasons behind growing cases

LAHORE: Nearly 200% increase has been witnessed in novel coronavirus cases across Pakistan since March 20, with Punjab having he second highest rate of increase among the provinces, official statistics released by the government at the national coronavirus dashboard (covid.gov.pk) indicate.

Data analysis showed that non-serious attitude of the people, poor preparedness of the state machinery and lack of coordination among government agencies is pushing a large number of citizens towards the viral respiratory disease, coronavirus (COVID-19).

The official statistics highlight that the highest 600% increase is recorded in the number of COVID-19 patients in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), followed by 437% increase in Punjab, 330% in Islamabad, 287% in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), 85% in Sindh and 34% in Balochistan during March 20 to March 28.

The upward trend of these numbers is indicated in most of the world. The latest figures released by the Coronavirus Monitoring Room of the Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Department at Sunday noon show that there were 570 confirmed patients of COVID-19 and so far five patients had recovered from the disease and five had lost the battle against the virus across Punjab.

The data indicates that 207 pilgrims returning from Iran are quarantined in Dera Ghazi Khan and 79 in Multan. Similarly, 23 members of a religious group are quarantined in Raiwind and 119 COVID-19 patients are being treated in public hospitals of Lahore.

A total of 52 COVID-19 patients have been confirmed in Gujrat, 11 in Gujranwala, 21 in Jhelum, 19 in Rawalpindi, three in Multan city, nine in Faisalabad, four in Mandi Bahauddin, one in each Narowal and Rahim Yar Khan and two in Vehari and Sargodha. One patient has been confirmed in Attock, two each in Bahawalpur, Minawali and Khushab, one in Nankana Sahib and five in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Amid coronavirus outbreak in the country, there is a disparity between official statistics of the federal and provincial governments, which indicates poor coordination among government agencies dealing with the emergency. Instead of finding a scientific cure to save citizens’ lives, mainstream political parties appear busy in politics and point scoring.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, on Saturday, tweeted: “So far 13,380 people have been tested for #COVID19 in Punjab, out of which 557 tested positive and 12,823 tested negative. 282/557 are cases of Zaireen from DGK & Multan quarantines.”

However, the Daily Situation Report of COVID-19 issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad shows that a total of 14,336 tests were performed in Pakistan by March 29 (Sunday). The report highlights that 3,492 tests were performed in Punjab, 5,673 in Sindh, 1,229 in K-P, 1,737 in Balochistan, 895 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 1,213 in Islamabad and 97 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. However, the report confirms that Punjab has 558 confirmed coronavirus cases and the country has 1,526.

It further highlights that 756 patients are still in hospitals, 28 were discharged and 13 expired in hospitals across the country. The report said 729 patients are quarantined or isolated in homes and other facilities in the country.

As the country enters the second week of partial lockdown and quarantine, people have started flooding social media with complaints of poor health facilities and miserable conditions of the poor and daily wage workers.

Audio, video and text messages are circulating on all social media platforms with people complaining about highhandedness of law enforcing agencies during the lockdown. Though police are trying to keep citizens isolated to save them from the deadly disease, which has already claimed over 32,000 lives around the world, poor people with empty pockets, who are facing hunger, are unaware for repercussions of their free movement and are looking towards the government which has locked down their means of earning without making alternative arrangements. The poor from all provinces have similar complaints.

Reacting over poor medical facilities and public complaints, Pakistan Muslim League (PML) MNA Moonis Elahi has emphasised on the Punjab government in a tweet that the people tested positive for coronavirus should also be allowed self-isolation in their homes. He said the government should not forcibly transfer such people to the hospitals without any discrimination, rather those who want should be allowed treatment in their homes in complete isolation. However, those in whom there are serious indications should immediately be shifted to the hospitals, he said.

The MNA fears that there would not be many beds in hospitals and peoples are reluctant to get tested due to the conditions at hospitals.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2020.