Amid rising fears that a large number of people can be asymptomatic after over 16,000 new cases of coronavirus emerged during the last week only, the government has decided to hold a seroepidemiological survey to know what percentage of the population has already been infected.

The pilot study, which will be completed in two to three weeks, will be conducted in the federal capital before the launch of a nationwide study by mid-June to get the data from across the country.

The main objective of the survey is to evaluate risk factor for Covid-19 infection by comparing the exposures among infected and non-infected persons.

Read full story here.

Opinion

Editorial

Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...
Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...