CM Punjab warned 670,000 may be infected with COVID-19 in Lahore alone

LAHORE: A summary forwarded to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar last month said that an estimated 670,000 could be affected by the coronavirus in Lahore alone. 

Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman, Secretary, Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department, said that the summary was forwarded to CM Buzdar on May 15. It contained results of samples collected from hotspots, residences and offices in Lahore.

As per the summary, 6% of the total samples collected tested positive for COVID-19. In some towns, samples' results stated that 14.7% of the samples came back with positive results. The report said that there wasn't a single area in Lahore or a qasba where the infection had not reached.

Members of the Technical Working Group — who carried out the exercise in the city by collecting samples to gauge how fast the disease can spread in the city—  have recommended imposing a complete lockdown in the city for four weeks and quarantining persons aged above 50 years. The group has also advised the government to declare it essential for people to stay inside their homes and not venture out unnecessarily.