ISLAMABAD: With over 15,000 more cases of coronavirus being reported over the past one week, Pakistan has been ranked 30th among the countries having detected most number of cases since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic according to global ranking.

So far, the country has reported a little less than a million cases (i.e. 989,275) including 22,781 deaths, while India has reported the second highest number of cases (over 31 million) after the US where over 34m cases have been detected.

While observing that the Covid-19 situation is worsening in Pakistan with a resurge in cases, the Pakistan Medical Association in a statement noted that the worst of all was the presence of Delta variant in a number of cases and once again requested the masses to follow coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).

In Gujranwala, meanwhile, the district authorities have requested the Pakistan Army to help them implement SOPs and curb the spread of the virus.

Gujranwala district health officer Dr Fareeha Akram Malik told Dawn that District Commissioner Sohail Khawaja has requested for the deployment of troops to help district administration for enforcement of SOPs. Army personnel would join the teams of police and district administration officials to ensure that citizens follow public health guidelines.

Smart lockdown has already been imposed in certain areas of Gujranwala, where teams have been deployed to keep vigilance at entry and exit and points of the neighbourhoods. Till date, 390 Covid patients have died in the district.

While noting that the country is already facing the threat of a fourth wave, PMA Secretary General Dr Qaisar Sajjad said the PMA requested public to follow the SOPs, as their negligence could be hazardous for the country. “Be a responsible citizen and take precautionary measures to keep yourself and others safe from the pandemic,” he said. He also suggested the masses to avoid being misled by myths and rumours pertaining to vaccination, as vaccine was the most protective shield against Covid-19.

Over 190m people across the world have been infected by the disease since its outbreak.

According to a website, www.worldometers.info, which maintains Covid-19 data, Brazil has been ranked third with over 19m cases, while France, Turkey and the United Kingdom have reported over five million cases each. With over 3.5m cases, Iran is on the 13th position. Indonesia has been ranked 15th with 2.8m cases, Bangladesh 26th with over 1.1m cases, the United Arab Emirates 40th with 0.66m cases and Saudi Arabia 45th with 0.5m cases.

In terms of most number of tests per million population, Pakistan has been ranked at 162nd position, as the country has conducted 68,312 tests per million population, while India has been ranked 105th with 318,450 tests per million population. However, country-wise data regarding total number of tests showed that the most number of tests have been conducted by the US i.e. 516 million, followed by India with 443m tests, the UK with 230m and China with 160m tests.

Iran has conducted 24m tests and has been placed at 17th position, Turkey has been placed at 10th position with 64m tests, while Pakistan has been ranked at 31st position in the global ranking for conducting over 15m tests so far.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2021