Dr Zafar Mirza urges citizens to take special care of the elderly during pandemic

Says as of now, 72 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the country are of people over the age of 50

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has asked citizens to initiate special care for the elderly during the pandemic.

During a media briefing in Islamabad on Sunday, the special assistant stressed the need for wearing face masks, practicing social distancing, and frequently washing hands to stay safe from the deadly disease.

As of now, 72 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the country are of people over the age of 50, said Dr Mirza, adding that senior citizens should avoid public transport and crowded spaces.

Officials have repeatedly stressed that the fatality rate among the elderly and the immunocompromised population is significantly higher than in the younger population. Asymptomatic persons are often unknowing transmitters of the virus to those more susceptible to the disease - even if the latter do not step out of their houses.

Hence, the government has stressed on social distancing and cautioned those who do head out for work, or necessary commitments, to maintain distance from the elderly and vulnerable at home, as well as adopt other precautionary measures.

As of now, the nationwide tally stands at 178,892, with 65, 739 cases in Punjab, 69,628 in Sindh, 21,444 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 9,328 in Balochistan, 1,278 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 10,662 in Islamabad and 813 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The virus has claimed at least 3,438 lives while around 65,331 coronavirus patients have recovered, as of now.

Given the rapid spread of the deadly virus, a 'smart lockdown' has been enforced in several districts of the country.

Experts have also stressed that age does not guarantee safety from the virus.

Numerous cases have been reported of people in younger age brackets having a tough time defeating the coranavirus. Some have also succumbed to the disease.

In Pakistan, these include the cases of two young doctors who succumbed to the disease, as well as reports by Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

In a statement made earlier this month, Wahab said that as of June 11, 1,712 children under the age of 10 had been infected by the virus, and four of them had succumbed to the disease.

As of today, 1712 children under the age of 10 have been infected with #COVID19 in #Sindh. Unfortunately, 4 such children have passed away. Our carelessness has exposed our dearest children. Please its not too late to change, please stay home for ur children and elders

— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) June 11, 2020