COVID-19 cases to peak in Pakistan by July or August end, says PM Imran Khan

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned the country of “a very difficult time” ahead as coronavirus cases are expected to peak by the end of July or August if people continued to ignore the standard operating procedures (SOPs)

In a televised address, the premier said that that the entire world has now understood that lockdowns are not a solution for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We already know that the virus will spread, the trend that our experts have observed is that it spreads, then peaks and then the curve flattens. And the purpose behind flattening the curve is to reduce pressure on hospitals,” Khan said.

“Our cases are expected to peak by the end of July or August, and then the transmission will reduce. So, today I appeal to you, not for me, for you: Please take precautions for your loved ones, for the elderly and for those who have [other ailments],” he added.

Pakistan is a “poor country” and had “no choice” but to reopen the country, said Khan.

His address to the nation comes as Pakistan has crossed 1 lakh mark of coronavirus cases. The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country has risen to 117,172 with over 2,000 deaths, according to the data by Pakistan’s health ministry.

“When a country imposes lockdown restrictions, the spread of the virus is slowed down. But we must also realize that Pakistan is a poor country and that we had no choice but to reopen the country. The entire world has understood that lockdowns aren’t a solution,” he said and cited the example of the US saying that despite being the country with largest number of cases and deaths, it has opened up its economy with SOPs.

In the last 24 hours, Pakistan reported 6,000 new covid-19 cases. Sindh and Punjab have reported over 87,000 cases in the country with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recording over 15,000 cases.