Coronavirus: Pakistan braces for deadlier second wave | Asia | An in-depth look at current events from across the continent | DW

On October 29, Pakistan reported more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus for the first time since July, when the pandemic was roughly under control. In the past six days, the South Asian country has recorded around 12,000 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 365,927 and 7,248 related deaths.

Health experts say the country is in the grip of a second wave of coronavirus, which could prove deadlier than the first wave.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government imposed a partial COVID-19 lockdown in March to contain the spread of the virus. However, the restrictions were lax and most people did not follow health guidelines. Large religious and political gatherings resumed in July, with most people believing the pandemic was over.

Read more: How denial and conspiracy theories are fueling Pakistan’s coronavirus crisis

Large gatherings

Mass gatherings and congregations have continued in Pakistan since the start of the pandemic. Their number and frequency have increased in recent weeks, especially with opposition parties staging massive anti-government rallies in different cities, hoping to overthrow Prime Minister Khan’s government.

Election rallies in Gilgit-Baltistan widely violated social distancing measures

Last week, the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region held elections for its legislative assembly, which involved huge political rallies and door-to-door demos.

Religious congregations, including Friday prayers and sermons in the mosque, continue across the country, with little to no consideration for coronavirus restrictions. It is important to note that two large-scale religious events in March resulted in a sharp increase in coronavirus cases at the start of the pandemic in the predominantly Muslim country.

Read more: Coronavirus: Pakistanis discouraged by Hajj restrictions this year

Winter is generally a wedding season in Pakistan, and although the government has banned large-scale weddings, it is likely that indoor weddings would continue to take place amid the second wave of the pandemic.

“Large gatherings facilitate the transmission of the virus. I’m not just talking about the coronavirus; even the flu is on the rise. If a patient, already infected with other viruses, catches coronavirus, their chances of survival are very low. This is why this second wave of coronavirus is more dangerous, more deadly, ”Tipu Sultan, former president of the Pakistani Medical Association, told DW.

Imran Bhatti, spokesperson for the Association of Young Physicians, said most Pakistanis were afraid of the first wave of coronavirus. “Now they think they got herd immunity which, of course, is wrong,” he told DW, adding that people are doing things like the virus doesn’t exist.

Read more: Coronavirus: Pakistani workers hit hard by pandemic

Inadequate health facilities and poor testing

Sultan says the country’s health facilities are unable to cope with the pressure. “Hospitals are already running out of beds. Medical and paramedical staff are also infected with COVID-19.”

Health workers are complaining that they are facing a shortage of protective equipment to treat patients with COVID-19. Some doctors say the government has cut facilities to deal with the coronavirus.

“The number of coronavirus cases is increasing. Instead of opening new health facilities, the government has closed a field hospital in Lahore, leaving the city of more than 12 million people with a single hospital dedicated to patients with the disease. The COVID-19 test remains the same lowest than ever, and hospitals are running low on equipment, ”Bhatti said.

Arsalan Mahmood of the Young Physicians Association urges the government to step up testing for coronavirus. “We still don’t have the true picture of the pandemic. We are a country of 220 million people and we are not testing enough. We have to test at least 1 million people a day. We cannot formulate a policy. Appropriate COVID-19 without it, ”he told DW.

Read more: Coronavirus: Does poor testing explain the daily drop in new cases in Pakistan?

Another lockdown?

Health experts believe the government must impose a new lockdown to deal with the second wave of coronavirus in the country. So far, Prime Minister Khan has ruled out the possibility of lockdown. He has argued since March that a lockdown would ruin the country’s economy.

Read more: How the COVID-19 crisis is affecting Pakistan’s economy

“The government must immediately announce a nationwide lockdown to stop the renewed spread of the coronavirus,” Bhatti said

Sultan says authorities must immediately ban all public gatherings.

Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, an opposition politician, blames PM Khan for the current health crisis. “Imran Khan, just like US President Donald Trump, initially dismissed the coronavirus as just the flu. He laughed at people who demanded that the government take the contagion seriously,” he told DW.

Rasheed, however, said opposition parties would still hold anti-government rallies. “We will follow health guidelines,” he said, adding that the government wants to use the pandemic as an excuse to ban opposition protests.

Muhammad Iqbal Khan, a lawmaker for Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told DW the government has canceled its own public rallies and expects the opposition to do the same . “The government has been praised by several international organizations for its handling of the pandemic. The virus is spreading again because of opposition rallies. We will take action to deal with this situation,” Khan told DW.

Read more: Coronavirus makes life more difficult for Pakistan’s transgender community

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