Coronavirus cases, mortality witnessed surge during last five days: NCOC

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has expressed concerns over the surge in coronavirus cases and mortality during the last five days, ARY News reported on Friday.

The head of NCOC and Planning Minister Asad Umar chaired a session of the National Command and Operation Centre where provincial chief secretaries and officials of the health ministry briefed the participants via video link regarding the government steps and COVID-19 situation.

It was briefed that the rate of infections is consistently rising during the last five days beside a spike witnessed in mortality due to COVID-19. It was told that an increase up to 40 per cent in positive cases of coronavirus was recorded during the last four days, whereas, the number of patients brought to different hospitals was also hiked.

Read: NCOC rolls out guidelines for public gatherings amid COVID-19 case hike

The rate of infections witnessed a sharp increase in Karachi, Hyderabad, Azad Jammu Kashmir’s (AJK) Muzaffarabad, Gilgit.

Moreover, the rate of critical patients and mortality were increased in Punjab province, taking the positive cases’ rate to 0.92 to 1.33 per cent which was previously stood at 1.6 per cent till September 1. In Punjab province, the death rate is currently standing at 6 per cent.

According to global statistics, the rate of positive cases of novel coronavirus is 2.06 per cent in Pakistan as compared to 2.7 per cent around the world. 71 per cent of patients who died of coronavirus were male aged above 50.

Earlier on Wednesday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had hinted at imposing strict steps to control the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.

Read: 3,497 coronavirus hotspots put under lockdown, NCOC informed

COVID-19 situation being monitored thoroughly and in case of lack of improvement in compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), there will be no choice but to make difficult decisions, it was observed in the NCOC meeting.

“The services could be shut down if the situation not improved.” “Strict curbs could be imposed again in case of non-compliance of the SOPs,” according to the NCOC statement.

The cases of coronavirus increasing rapidly due to gross violation of the standard operating procedures. The services will be closed again if the breach of SOPs will be continued.

“The number of deaths also increasing along with the spike in coronavirus cases,” the NCOC statement said. The NCOC had directed provincial chief secretaries to ensure compliance of the SOPs adding that the provinces should take strict actions and impose heavy fines over breach of the safety measures.