Pakistan urges public to follow SOPs to sustain coronavirus gains during Muharram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Tuesday it was hopeful it could sustain a steady decline in daily coronavirus infections and deaths during the Islamic month of Muharram by implementing official health guidelines with the help of the public. 
Shia Muslims gather in large numbers to take out processions across Pakistan, and around the world, in the holy month of Muharram which falls during the death anniversary of Husain ibn Ali, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
“We are on a path of victory against the virus and hopeful to sustain the progress with the help of the public,” Sajid Hussain Shah, a spokesperson for the health ministry, told Arab News, adding that provincial governments were doing their best to ensure that people abided by health guidelines, including social distancing and wearing face masks in large gatherings.
“Wearing face masks and ensuring social distancing are important to defeat the virus, and we have been repeatedly urging the public to follow these measures,” Shah said.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) – the apex federal body to monitor progress against the virus – has also asked provincial governments to ensure that participants at large gatherings and processions follow standard operating procedures to stem the spread of the virus.
“The coronavirus infections may increase in case of negligence,” planning minister Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, warned provincial authorities on Monday during a briefing through video link.
A nation of 220 million, Pakistan has so far seen 293,711 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 6,255 related deaths. The number of active cases in the country has steadily declined since hitting its peak in June, with only 672 patients in critical condition, according to statistics compiled by the government.
The country has so far conducted about 2.5 million tests, though critics maintain that testing remains low and the country is underestimating the infection rate.
“The government is testing only those people who visit public health facilities with visible symptoms of COVID-19,” said Dr. Wajiha Javed, head of public health at a multinational pharmaceutical company, Getz Pharma.
She urged authorities to conduct mass testing of people to know the exact prevalence of the virus as many people were asymptomatic and spreading the disease without being aware of it.
In a largest seroprevalence survey of the country conducted last month in Karachi, Javed found that 17.5 percent of her sample population of 25,000 had contracted the coronavirus infection.
“There is no doubt that we have made significance progress against the virus, but we really need to sustain it,” she said. “We may see a second wave of the outbreak after Muharram if people do not follow proper health guidelines.”