The rapid spread of the third and most dangerous wave of coronavirus, the steady increase in the number of patients and the trend of citizens not following the precautionary measures (SOPs), the government has announced more stringent measures in the interest of the people to control this global pandemic. Possible steps are being taken by the governmentin this regard, with the re-imposition of sanctions andfor the first time cases of violation of SOPs are being registered.The third wave of coronavirus is being described as more dangerous and is spreading rapidly, affecting a large number of children as well as adults. Earlier, children were considered safe from coronavirus, so not much attention has been paid to the development of vaccine for them, but now vaccine for children is in the process of preparation. Vaccine doses are not available in Pakistan according to the number of adults. Some countries have gifted vaccines to Pakistan which are in very limited quantities. The government will have to ensure the supply of vaccines as well as preparations.
When the Coronavirus catastrophe came to light last year, many countries were completely shut down, curfew-like sanctions were imposed, and we also had similar lockdown demands, which the Prime Minister continued to oppose. It was stated that the complete lockdown would force many people to go on hunger strike. The government was content with a partial lockdown and in the meanwhile a large amount of money was allocated for the welfare of the unemployed and distributed to the deserving people. Federal and Provincial Governments have made every effort to implement the SOPs issued by the NCOC. There have been complaints of cooperation and non-cooperation in this regard. However, as the situation in Pakistan being better than many other countries, many countries appreciated Pakistan’s initiatives and have achieved remarkable results by partially locked down in the same manner.But it is not requisite that only the steps taken in the past be effective in overcoming this third wave of Coronavirus, a new strategy will have to be devised using the previous steps.
Certainly, the government is doing everything possible to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but what is being done is ‘not necessary, there is no room for further action. The government has experts’ and besides them there are people who can make better suggestions and wherever good opinions come from, it should be used. The Pakistan Medical Association has termed the government’s measures and strategy to control corona virus as inadequate and ineffective. The PMA meeting in Lahore demanded the government to stop the spread of coronavirus, including Lahore, complete lockdown in major cities and implementation of Corona SOPs should be ensured.The government is strictly following SOPs, but is pursuing a policy of avoiding lockdowns, even though the President and the Prime Minister have been affected by the third wave of Coronavirus. Despite being affected, the Prime Minister says that we do not have the resources to close the country but when it comes to the survival of human lives then such tough decisions have to be made.
Both the government and the people seem to be in a state of turmoil. In view of the threat of a third wave of coronavirus, the people want to follow the SOPs, but the economic situation forces them to violate it.
The government is also saying that we cannot afford severe lockdowns, but lockdowns are also being announced in areas with a positive case rate of more than 12%, so there is a need to get out of this dilemma with a clear and unequivocal policy to prevent and combat the third wave of coronavirus.The growing number of corona cases poses a serious threat that the available medical facilities will fail to cope with the large number of patients in large cities like Lahore where already life-saving equipment and facilities are running out, and delays in making quick and drastic decisions by the government could mean a major medical crisis. The government is right in its view that we cannot afford a lockdown, but at a time when the threat of a pandemic has become more alarming than expected, there is no choice but to take very serious and urgent measures. Only a strict lockdown for a few weeks with strict implementation of Coronavirus SOPs can stop the pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 pandemic is also demanding from the government, concerned agencies and the general public that everyone should play their role responsibly for the prevention of this coronavirus because a single failure in the prevention of Corona can be a prelude to great loss.
