Hospitals are running out of beds as virus infections surge
Focus shifts to safety measures as number of Covid-19 cases crosses 100,000
Authorities in Pakistan have stepped up enforcement of government safety measures after a rise in the daily number of coronavirus infections pushed total cases to more than 100,000.
Official statistics released yesterday showed 103,671 infections and 2,067 deaths from the virus. Record numbers of new infections over the last 10 days partly reflect increased testing.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who is in charge of the national response to the pandemic, said that many markets and shops had been sealed because of non-compliance over the last few days.
“First we educated the masses about the protocols, then we warned them, and now, in the last meeting with the prime minister in the chair, we directed administrations to crack down on places protocols are not being followed,” he said.
Health authorities meanwhile said hospitals were running out of beds to treat patients.
Last week a leaked government report suggested there were nearly 700,000 infections in Lahore alone. Doctors at several main hospitals in the historic eastern city told AFP they were running out of beds, ventilators and other vital equipment.
“As the cases increase, more health care workers are also falling victim to the virus,” said Farooq Sahil, a doctor at Services
Hospital Lahore. Khizer Hayat, chairman of the Young Doctors Association of Punjab, said facilities across the province needed help.
“Hospitals are running out of beds; there aren’t enough ventilators given to us,” he told AFP.