Pakistan Army may be called in to implement coronavirus SOPs: Dr Faisal Sultan

• Coronavirus cases have increased due to negligence of citizens, says Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan.
• Says Pakistan Army may help implement coronavirus SOPs.
• NCOC stats show 47,015 COVID-19 tests conducted in last 24 hours, with 1,808 new cases being detected.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army may be called in to implement coronavirus standard operating procedures, says Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan.

He said this may happen as coronavirus cases have increased due to the negligence of citizens. Dr Sultan was speaking to the media in Islamabad on Monday.

He said that the last few weeks have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases, with the positivity rate going up from 2% to 4%. He also spoke about the rapid increase in the Delta variant of coronavirus cases after an increase in the Alpha variant. 

Dr Sultan said the main cause of this surge is violation of SOPs and the new variant of coronavirus coming from India.

Read about the latest coronavirus situation in Pakistan

Dr Sultan expressed the belief that the best strategy to deal with coronavirus is to complete your vaccination. follow restrictions, wear a masks in public places. He said vaccination is necessary and that the country has an abundance of vaccines.

It is necessary, he said, to implement the existing SOPs and coronavirus restrictions. He said people can travel once they are vaccinated and stressed that it is necessary to have a vaccination certificate to travel during the upcoming Eidul Adha holidays.

The SAPM on health said SOPs will be strictly enforced in major cities and tourist destinations.

COVID-19 situation worsening in Pakistan

In Pakistan, 15 more people died from the global coronavirus epidemic and 1,808 new cases were reported Monday morning.

According to the latest statistics by the National Command and Operation Center, 47,015 tests for coronavirus were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, of which 1,808 people tested positive.

According to the official portal, the country's positivity rate stands at 3.84%.

According to the NCOC, the number of deaths from coronavirus has risen to 22,597 across the country, while the number of people affected has reached 975,092.

Read more: Pakistan's COVID-19 cases saw 'definitive' uptick in last 7 days: Dr Faisal Sultan

During the last 24 hours, the most deaths occurred in Sindh followed by Punjab. Out of the 15 deaths in the last 24 hours, nine people died on ventilators.

The total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan are 38,622 as of July 12.