Worrying graph shows Pakistan's failure to curb COVID-19 deaths compared to India's UP state

KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: A graph shared Sunday on Twitter by senior journalist Fahd Husain indicated a significant difference in the response of Pakistan and Uttar Pradesh to the coronavirus and how the former failed to curb the deadly infection despite having demographics similar to that of the Indian state.

The statistics — compiled from scientific publication "Our World in Data," Pakistan's population census from 2017, and the World Bank — showed that a strict lockdown in India's UP state to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus yielded commendable results.

In Pakistan, on the other hand, the death rate shot up exponentially, as of June 7, as the country had quite a lenient lockdown that was prematurely eased by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

While Pakistan and the Indian state have similar populations, 208 million and 225 million, respectively, the density per kilometre is vastly different. Both also have similar number of people aged 45 or more, at almost 40 million each and even the literacy rate is not much different — 59% in Pakistan and 68% in India's UP.

Pakistan recorded its significant disease kickoff on March 29, whereas India registered it April 15. The graph states that the significant disease kickoff indicates the "day a territorial jurisdiction hits a cumulative death toll of 10".

As of June 7, the Indian state has managed to keep its daily death toll per 200 million people below 10 individuals, while Pakistan has unfortunately started nearing 80 deaths a day.

Husain, the journalist who shared the graph, emphasised on the death rate as well.

"UP is not one of those 'rich' places govt always refers to when justifying opening up lockdown. I would invite people to explain why so many had to die in Pakistan and so few in UP," he wrote.