Army deployed in 16 cities as Covid death rate rises to 2.16pc

Personnel of the Pakistan Army have been deployed in 16 cities, which have the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. 

Pakistan is desperately trying to contain the pandemic before it spirals out of control like it did in India a few days ago. 

Major-General Babar Iftikhar, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told the media at a press briefing on Monday that there was an alarming increase in the patient death rate in the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. He said that death rate had reached up to 2.15 percent in some cities. He said that Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Lahore, Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Faisalabad and Muzaffarabad had become the cities with the most number of cases. 

The ISPR DG said the third wave was affecting the entire South Asian region. He said the army would come up to people’s expectations in these difficult times. He said that people’s trust was an asset of the Pakistan Army. He said that army has been deployed in aid of the civil administration. He said the nation needed to be more careful than ever to stop the pandemic situation from deteriorating. 

The Pakistan Army spokesperson said that oxygen supplies to the industry would have to be halted and diverted to hospitals if the pandemic situation deteriorates. He said that currently 570 coronavirus patients were on ventilators and 4,300 were critical. He said that coronavirus SOPs must be followed for safety. He said that 75 percent of the oxygen produced in the country had been allocated to health sector of Pakistan. 

He said the civil administration was responsible for maintaining law and order in the country. He said that army troops had reached in all districts. He said that a lieutenant-general would head the army operations in every district and a brigadier at the division level. He said the army had decided not to take the internal security allowance.