Downward trend of COVID-19 main reason for reduced demand in tests: Dr Faisal Sultan

ISLAMABAD: Dr Faisal Sultan, the focal person on coronavirus for Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the downward trend of COVID-19 cases in the country is the main reason behind the daily drop in the number of tests being conducted in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended Pakistan increase daily testing to above 50,000, but after peaking at 31,000 tests exactly a month ago, the South Asian nation tested less than 20,000 people on Sunday.

“There is no magic number that you have to achieve, what you have to do is a good contact tracing that you are able to find the maximum numbers of exposed persons,” Sultan told Reuters. “The downward trend of the epidemic is the primary reason for the reduced demand in tests.”

Pakistan has registered 265,082 infections and 5,599 deaths.

On July 1, a total of 4,339 people tested positive, and the number dropped to 1,587 on Sunday with an average of 118 deaths a day in late June falling to 47 last week. On Sunday, 31 deaths were reported.

Zubair Faisal Abbasi whose Impact Research International is studying health systems in South Asia during the COVID-19 outbreak, says people were preferring to quarantine without testing.

“The reservoir (of the disease) is there and it can jump back,” he warned.

Sultan termed it “unmistakeable signs of a drop” to “prepare ourselves for any future changes or challenges.”

Two big challenges lie ahead.

Eid al-Azha later this month has led to thousands of people thronging animal markets across the country.

During Ashura, a 10-day period of mourning starting later in August, tens of thousands of Shia Muslims march to commemorate the 7th-century death of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hussain.

Sultan warned people against violating public health measures.

“We can have spikes of cases and deaths.”