New COVID-19 cases in Pakistan spark fear of 2nd wave

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Wednesday reported over 800 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours sparking fears of a second wave of the virus, according to the Health Ministry.

The nationwide case-count now stands at 330,200.

Meanwhile, with 14 new deaths, the total fatalities rose to 6,759.

So far, 311,814 people have recovered while active cases in the country stand at 11,627.

On Tuesday, Dr Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime minister on health, announced that Pakistan was facing the second wave of COVID-19 as people were not following the standard operating procedures.

“A few weeks ago we were getting 400 to 500 cases per day, but now it has increased to 700 to 750 cases. Moreover, the mortality rate has also increased. Another ratio which is considered is percentage positivity that remained less than 2%, but now it has reached close to 3%," local daily Dawn quoted Sultan as saying.

He added that the government is mulling reinforcing some restrictions to curb the spread of the virus.

In May, Pakistan eased its coronavirus restrictions and reopened businesses which were closed earlier in March following the virus outbreak in the country.

In September, the World Health Organization also praised Pakistan for handling the pandemic effectively.