Nationwide Covid-19 tally to be near 225,000 by month-end: Asad Umar

Expects 75,000 decrease in number of cases predicted earlier

ISLAMABAD: The nationwide tally of coronavirus cases by June 30 is likely to be around 225,000, which is 75,000 less than what was predicted earlier, said Federal Minister Asad Umar on Friday.

Earlier, on June 14, Umar, who heads the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to lead the national response against the Covid-19 pandemic, had said that experts believe the number of confirmed cases nationwide may hit 300,000 by the end of the current month.

People have complied with precautionary measures, and while the threat of the virus remains, the situation seems to be improving, said Umar while briefing on the pandemic on Friday.

"I am not saying that the threat of the virus has been averted, but in the last two weeks the situation has improved."

We had presented the facts on June 14, at the time it was expected that the number of confirmed cases would reach 300,000 by the end of the month, said the planning and development minister.

However, in today's meeting, we reviewed the situation and it is now estimated that the Covid-19 tally would be around 225,000 [by June 30], he added.

According to Umar, as of now, the health system has not crumbled due to the deadly virus. He assured that the health system is being strengthened, but warned that the situation may worsen if precautions aren't taken.

"If we all play our part, the spread of the virus can be controlled," said Umar, stressing that compliance with precautionary measures is necessary.

The minister added that the government was trying to ensure that business activity continues, that the poor are not affected, and the health of the people is also protected.

As of now, the nationwide tally of confirmed coronavirus cases stands at 195,745, with the death toll reaching 4,000.

It was not specified whether this decrease of 75,000 cases in the earlier prediction is ceteris paribus.

In recent months, the testing capacity of the country has improved significantly. The media briefing did not include, however, the number of tests expected to be conducted, the reproductive ratio of the virus i.e the number of people each person infects, the case fatality rate, or the number of suspected cases till June 30.