Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Sunday reiterated the importance of taking precautionary measures — such as wearing masks, washing hands and practising social distancing — to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.
He was addressing a press conference in Islamabad as the countrywide Covid-19 tally crossed 176,000 cases.
“We have to fight against this disease on an individual level, family level and community level,” he said, listing down things that everyone should do to slow down the spread of Covid-19 while protecting the elderly.
Masks: Urging everyone to wear masks in public, Mirza reminded the nation that the government has made it mandatory to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of infections. “It doesn’t have to be a surgical mask, the point is to cover the face to prevent infection,” he said.
Social distancing: Mirza recommended keeping a physical distance of at least 2 metres, or 6 feet, from others while in public. “Shaking hands, hugging or any sort of physical contact is strictly not recommended,” he said.
Washing hands: Reiterating the importance of washing hands during a pandemic, Mirza said that hands tend to cause infections because of how often they come in contact with the mouth. “Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. You can also use sanitiser but soap and water is more effective,” he said.
Highlighting the most vulnerable groups of population during a lethal pandemic, Mirza said that it was incumbent upon the younger, healthier people in the family to protect the elderly.
“If an elderly loved one is already suffering from a preexisting condition such as diabetes, blood pressures, heart disease or cancer, it’s our job to protect them,” he said.
He recommended that the elderly’s physical contact be minimised and urged them to take precautions to protect themselves from getting infected.
“The elderly should definitely wear masks, wash hands and stay physically away from people,” he said, adding that living rooms of the elderly should be disinfected often.
“If they [the elderly and vulnerable] develop symptoms — fever, sore threat or cough — they shoud be isolated and a doctor should be contacted immediately,” Mirza said.
Pakistan reports 176,617 Covid-19 cases, 3,501 deaths
SAPM Mirza’s plea to protect the vulnerable populations came as Pakistan reported more than 176,600 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
More than 3,500 people have now died due to the respiratory disease in the country.
Sindh has reported the most number of cases, with 67,353, followed by Punjab with 65,739. The two provinces have collectively reported around 75 per cent of the country’s Covid-19 caseload.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 21,444 cases and Balochistan has reported 9,328 Covid-19 cases.
Federal capital Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have collectively confirmed 12,753 cases of the novel coronavirus.
