Virus infections peak

Pakistan’s upward spiral of new virus infections neared 145,000 yesterday amid warnings from political leaders that the numbers could double by the end of June and were likely to hit 1.2 million by the end of July if Pakistan’s 220 million people continue to flout basic precautions like mask wearing. Planning and Development Minister Asad Umer warned that the virus will rampage through Pakistan unless there is ‘‘a change in our attitude toward the virus’’ that ends the relentless refusal of most to social distance and wear masks. Still he defended the easing on lockdown restrictions saying the country’s economy would collapse under the burden of a total shutdown. Pakistan has stepped back on some easing of restrictions, closing markets on the weekend and extending closures of large gatherings, restaurants and gymnasiums.

Sweden’s prime minister Stefan Lofven rejected criticism of the country’s Covid-19 strategy, amid accusations that the softer lockdown his government chose has resulted in one of the world’s highest mortality rates. ‘‘We’ve followed the same main strategy as others,’’ Lofven said in an interview on state broadcaster SVT. ‘‘Which in other words means keeping the contagion at levels that the health-care system can handle.’’ Lofven said that ‘‘it’s too early to draw any definitive conclusions about the success of our strategy’’, despite the high death rate. The number of Covid-related deaths now totals 4874 in Sweden, dwarfing the 597 in neighbouring Denmark and 242 in Norway. Rather, Sweden’s excess mortality rate ‘‘is normal for the time of year’’, Lofven said. He also said methods for tracking Covid-19 mortality rates vary between countries.