Courtesy PID
Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health notes this is in contrast to global trends, adding local transmission is currently at 7 percent
The majority of the 1,022 coronavirus cases thus far reported in Pakistan have been found in people between the ages of 21 and 30, in contrast to global trends where infections were highest among the elderly, Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said on Wednesday.
“[Of the cases reported thus far] 24 percent have been between 21 and 30 years; this constitutes a majority of the cases,” he told media at a daily press briefing. “This pattern is unlike other countries where cases mostly comprise older people,” he added. According to health experts—including at the World Health Organization—young coronavirus patients are far less likely to suffer complications or need intensive care. However, this does not mean they are entirely immune. A 36-year-old doctor in Pakistan died of the disease while conducting screenings of potential cases in Gilgit-Baltistan, showing no age group is entirely immune from the threat.
According to Mirza, the local transmission of confirmed coronavirus cases currently stands at 7 percent, suggesting 93 percent of the cases have been found among people who traveled to Pakistan from abroad. He said the majority of the cases had also been found in men—64 percent. He said the government had tested all 141 passengers on board a special flight bringing stranded Pakistanis home from Doha, adding that no positive cases had been found among the travelers.
In his press briefing, Mirza said that 5,225 people were currently in quarantine facilities across Pakistan. Of these, he said, 23 percent had tested positive, while the remainder had been allowed to go home under strict instructions to socially isolate until the quarantine period of two weeks had expired.
The Special Assistant to the P.M. said that the National Coordination Committee on COVID-19 would conduct its second meeting on Thursday (today) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan to review progress on the implementation of decisions taken by the National Security Committee. The ongoing lockdowns enforced by provincial governments would also be reviewed in this meeting, he added.
Across Pakistan, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday morning rose to 1,102, with the majority—417—being reported from Sindh and Punjab coming in second with 323. Eight deaths have been reported, while 21 people have fully recovered. The provincial governments have implemented movement restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, while all health officials have advocated social distancing in all segments of society to overcome the virus.