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COVID-19 in Pakistan: Current Practices and Associated Risks

Abstract

Seven coronaviruses were identified previously and these were known to infect human beings. The eighth human coronavirus (nCoV-2019) surfaced in Wuhan, China at the end of the year 2019, exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia and other respiratory problems. As of September 7, 2020, 27 million people have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 900,000 have lost their lives. In Pakistan, the tally of COVID-19 infected cases stands at 298,509 and 6,342 people have died. Government of Pakistan has devised “The National Action Plan for the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Pakistan” to efficiently tackle the pandemic. Many hurdles stand in the way of Pakistan fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively. Poverty and a low literacy rate are major obstacles in containing the COVID-19 transmission in Pakistan. Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure is not fully equipped to deal with the pandemic. It is constrained by a very limited healthcare budget, small number of healthcare personnel and limited equipment. The number of tests conducted is very low which cannot give a proper insight into the actual incidence of COVID-19. Thus, it can be concluded that Pakistan, within the given facilities and predictions, is incapable of flattening the curve but the catastrophe can be avoided by taking proper measures in time.

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