Pakistan may witness another possible COVID-19 wave amid uptick in fresh cases

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 26 : As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Pakistan, experts said on Sunday that the country may potentially witness another COVID-19 outbreak.
Pakistan reported 406 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and two more people succumbed to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to National Institute of Health, Islamabad (NIH) data.
The country continues to see an uptick in new cases, pushing the positivity rate further up. Pakistan's COVID-19 positivity stood at 2.81 per cent, reported Geo News.
As per the NIH stats, 94 other patients are undergoing treatment in intensive-care units countrywide.
Former DG Health and currently Lead Strategic Adviser of CDC-USA in Pakistan Rana Muhammad Safdar said that cases and positivity rates have more than doubled over the previous week, indicating rapid transmission.
He said that the rise is more marked in Karachi -- with 21.71 per cent COVID-19 positivity, and Islamabad -- with 3.45 per cent positivity, due to better testing and reporting but the risk is likely to be widespread, reported Geo News.
According to Safdar, the rise in number of hospitalizations and admission of patients in ICUs may become evident from the next week.
Meanwhile, the health experts stressed on - Vigilantly watching through good surveillance and testing; Communication around rising risk especially in urban settings; Advocating mask-wearing indoors in cities reporting cases that constitute over 5 per cent positivity and vaccination with emphasis on boosters.
Among the provinces, Sindh is the most affected while Mardan and Hyderabad are the most affected cities after Karachi, with 8.77 per cent and 8.51 per cent COVID-19 positivity, respectively, reported Geo News.
As per NIH, 85 per cent of Pakistan's population has been fully vaccinated.