Islamabad,(Parliament Times): Dr Mohammad Osman Yusuf, Press and Information Secretary, Pakistan Chest Society said that COVID-19 has affected the whole world, and Pakistan is not safe either. More than 1.5 million people have been infected and more than 30,000 have lost their lives in Pakistan, to this global pandemic since January 2020. The infection has been seen to comes in waves caused by new variants of the virus. The latest wave is being caused by the variant called BA.5 strain. In the last 24 hours, more than 675 new cases have been reported and almost 8,000 currently infected. However it is estimated that due to home testing and non-reporting of cases, the actual numbers may be much higher. Various sections of the local media are reporting high positivity rates among those tested.
Patients infected with COVID-19 may suffer from a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. These may include on or more of the following: Fever or chills, Cough, Shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing, Fatigue, Muscle or body aches, Headache, New/recent loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Congestion or runny nose, Nausea or vomiting, or Diarrhoea.
The Pakistan Chest Society, the official professional organization of qualified chest specialists in Pakistan, has warned that since the virus which causes COVID-19 is highly contagious, so people from all walks of life are advised to exercise extreme caution and restart the preventative measures which saved Pakistan in the earlier waves of this disease. These measures include:
Wearing of masks
Frequent washing of hands and/or use of hand sanistisers
Maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet (social distancing) and avoiding crowded places
It is also very important to get properly vaccinated. COVID vaccine is available free of costs from vaccination centres all over Pakistan. The public is advised to get whichever vaccine they can obtain. Even if they have been fully vaccinated before, it is recommended to get an additional booster vaccine, six months after they received the previous booster dose. As per NCOC recommendations, all adults aged 18 and over, are eligible to receive a booster of any vaccine in a combination of Sinopharm, Sinovac, Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines.
