Reduced testing 'not a conspiracy', says govt's focal person on COVID-19

Prime Minister Imran Khan's focal person on COVID-19 Dr Faisal Sultan on Sunday brushed aside the notion that Pakistan is carrying out testing far lower than its capacity "under some conspiracy or design".

In a post-press conference question/answer session in Islamabad, alongside information minister Shibli Faraz and the premier's aide on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus, Dr Sultan said that a lower testing rate is being witnessed due to a "reduction in symptoms being witnessed in people".

"When the spread was more rapid, we carried out a greater number of tests," he said.

Dr Sultan said that during mid-June, there was an average of more than 32,000 tests conducted daily. In the last 24 hours, 23,000 tests were carried out, he said.

When asked what the current testing capacity for the country is, he said that Pakistan is currently capable of carrying out testing in excess of 50,000 tests a day which can further be ramped up to 75,000 if need be.

He said there is no "grand master" who can move the number of tests up or down.

"There are 102 labs operating all across the country," he said, adding that they are carrying out testing more under the contact tracing mechanism now.

He said that demand is "based on symptoms or perceived need" and that "health-seeking behaviour can obviously affect testing numbers".

Dr Sultan said that the current situation is much better than what the country was faced with three months back and appreciated the federal agencies and provincial governments for their collaborative efforts to fight the spread of the contagious disease in the country.

"Ask any hospital or medical facility. Coronavirus cases have declined drastically," he said.

"This is the way the cookie crumbles."

Dr Sultan's remarks come at a time when the country is under scrutiny for figures being under-reported by the government.

The country has so far confirmed more than 270,000 cases and nearly 5,800 deaths.

Observers have however warned that the numbers do not reflect the true extent of cases in Pakistan, with many people reluctant to get tested.

'Single-digit coronavirus positivity rate'

Earlier, while addressing the media briefing, Aidrus said that with effective implementation of coronavirus strategies, Pakistan now has "a single-digit" positivity rate for the disease, which is an accomplishment for the government and the people who abided by standard operating procedures.

She did not specify what the exact rate currently is.

The premier's aide underscored that "long-term measures were taken instead of temporary steps to stem the rapid spread of coronavirus, due to which positive cases have seen a noticeable decline".

Aidrus said that decision making was focused on not only equipping the country to deal with the current pandemic but any other pandemic that comes along. She stressed that the country needed a strategy that would simultaneously keep the economy afloat and keep the pandemic at bay.

"We couldn't do millions of tests a day, so we had to come up with a testing strategy. Therefore, we introduced the Testing, Tracing, and Quarantine Strategy (TTQ) that enabled us in controlling the mushrooming numbers of coronavirus," she said.

While crediting the role of the National Operation Control Centre (NCOC) which recommended strategies on the basis of projections when the government did not have adequate data for the disease, Aidrus also highlighted the cooperation by provinces in the fight against COVID-19.

'COVID-19 battle far more dangerous than most war situations'

Lauding Prime Minister Imran Khan for his far-sighted policies for coronavirus, Faraz said that the battle against COVID-19 is "far more dangerous and difficult to tackle than most war situations".

"Some of our 'friends' insisted on a complete lockdown but Imran Khan adopted such a strategy that life went on even during the lockdown," he said, adding that "now the policies of the government are implemented by the countries around the world".

The minister went on to add that about Rs160 billion have been distributed under the banner of Ehsaas Programme to aid families financially impacted by the virus.