Coronavirus did not prove as fatal in Pakistan as in other countries: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Sunday the coronavirus has not been as lethal in Pakistan as it has been in the US and European countries.

Speaking at a media briefing in the federal capital, he said countries world over are not eliminating Covid-19 but trying to “flatten the curve” – which means slowing the spread of the deadly virus.

Asad Umar explained the country has been witnessing a daily average of 22 deaths from the infection for the past few weeks and if it remains the same for a month, it will multiply to about 720 deaths a month.

Relatively, he added, over 4,000 people die in traffic accidents across the country every month yet the traffic is not banned.

The minister maintained that the country won’t be able to bear the impact of measures required to get rid of the disease altogether. Though the virus has not been as fatal in Pakistan as compared to other countries, its financial and economic impact has been serious as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) saw its revenue dip by Rs119 bn in just one month, he added.

He pointed out the government has significantly improved the capacity of the healthcare system.

“We currently have 1,400 ventilators for coronavirus patients and 900 more will be added in two months,” Asad Umar explained, adding there are 35 coronavirus patients on ventilators across the country at present.

He said 55 labs are operational with the capacity to conduct over 14,000 tests on a daily basis.

The minister said the government is effectively pursuing the testing, tracking and quarantine system to combat the pathogen.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan will be briefed on the current coronavirus situation in coming days.