THE country reported 20 more Covid-linked deaths with 15,440 fresh cases in 24 hours. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the daily positivity rate rose to the highest-ever 33.37 per cent after testing 46,292 samples. The fresh numbers took the country’s total Covid fatalities to 28,308 while the caseload went up to 1,762,771.
Omicron is less deadly than the Delta variant but easily transmissible. We have seen how Delta wreaked havoc across the country last year, when the number of cases peaked around July and August. Among the measures that the government is considering taking are: stepping up its inoculation campaign; lowering the age limit for booster doses; and preventing the gathering of unvaccinated people at public places. While we appreciate the government planning these measures, we wonder how realistic they would be, particularly given that, so far, only 31 percent of the targeted population have received both doses of the vaccine. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see the government step up its vaccination campaign, which we hope will continue without many hiccups. At the same time, rather than forcing the population to get vaccinated, we hope the government will educate the people on why it is important to get the vaccine.
The government needs to renew its awareness campaign to encourage people to follow the health protocols such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and going into early isolation if they suspect they have contracted the coronavirus. Ramping up screening at airports and other border points is also crucial-especially since quite a few of the new cases have been detected among people who have come into the country from abroad.
