Catastrophic : South Asia reels from virus surge
Pakistan SHARE
Early optimism that South Asia might have dodged the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic has disappeared as soaring infection rates turn the densely populated region into a global hot spot.
After several months trailing the US and western Europe, cases of COVID-19 are surging across South Asia home to almost a quarter of the world s population where the virus is wreaking havoc on fragile medical systems and underfunded health agencies are pushed to breaking point.
Overflowing hospitals from Kabul to Dhaka are turning away suspected virus patients, mortuaries are being overwhelmed as cemeteries and crematoria struggle to cope, and desperate families are searching for help for critically ill loved ones.
ISLAMABAD: While Covid-19 continues to affect a large segment of population, efforts to counter it with effective vaccination campaign are far from being satisfactory and this follows a dismal response to following SOPs causing large-scale illnesses and deaths.
This was stated by Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Punjab president Dr Shabbir Ahmad Kallu, Dr Iftikhar Burney, PIMA Islamabad president, and other health experts at a press conference at the National Press Club on Friday.
The speakers urged society to take the problem seriously. Government and society both should appreciate the dangers of the pandemic and opt for vaccination before the existing wave goes out of control.
26 more die from corona in Punjab
Lahore
April 27, 2021
LAHORE:Around 26 COVID19 patients died and 2,190 new positive cases were confirmed in Punjab during the last 24 hours.
According to Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) report issued on Monday, the death toll reached 7,990 in Punjab, while confirmed cases became 290,788 in the province.
As per the spokesperson for Corona Monitoring Room at P&SHD, 19,445 tests have been conducted in the last 24 hours, which raised the total number of tests to 4,501,634 in the province. After 7,990 fatalities and recovery of a total of 235,669 patients, including 2,014 recoveries in the last 24 hours, 47,129 active cases still remain, who are either isolated at homes or under treatment in health facilities.
Healthcare workers urged to get vaccinated thenews.com.pk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenews.com.pk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pakistanis have become less likely to say they will accept a Covid vaccine.
Since the start of the pandemic, Pakistanis have become less likely to say they will accept a Covid vaccine. Saher Asad, Javaeria Qureshi, Mariam Raheem, Taimur Shah, and Basit Zafar look at the findings of a new survey into vaccine hesitancy and suggest how the government could overcome it.
Even rich countries have often struggled to roll out vaccines but in the Global South, things are much worse. In Pakistan, access to jabs has so far been limited to healthcare workers and people over 50. As of March 2021, an average of 0.2 doses had been administered for every 100 people in Pakistan, strikingly lower than the regional average for Asia (4.5 doses for every 100 people).