The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Pakistan among seven Countries which battled with the COVID-19 pandemic with success and now offer the world much to learn from them for the future, as according to its Head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, ‘This will not be the last pandemic’.
The entire world is still embroiled in dealing with Coronavirus which wreaked havoc late last year and to date has infected 28,329,822 people across the globe and 913,931 of them succumbing to it.
However, even when the world’s advanced economies like the United States and European Countries having robust health infrastructures yet remain in disarray, Pakistan has to a large extent managed to flatten the curve.
In June 2020, the Country was witnessing a surge in Coronavirus Cases which amounted to 6,825 on June 15 and the highest number of deaths (153) in a single day was recorded on June 20.
But afterward, the curve gradually turned to a downward trajectory, and on September 9, Pakistan registered 441 Coronavirus Cases and 6 fatalities.
In his media briefing on COVID-19 on September 7, the WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted seven Countries amongst many whose preparation and response against the pandemic offer lessons for the rest of the world.
“Pakistan deployed the infrastructure built up over many years for polio to combat COVID-19. Community health workers who have been trained to go door-to-door vaccinating children for polio have been utilized for surveillance, contact tracing and care,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom said.
The WHO head also highlighted the importance of robust public health systems, and stressed upon the world to invest in public health and be better prepared for the next pandemic and learn lessons from Coronavirus.
“This will not be the last pandemic,” he said. “History teaches us that outbreaks and pandemics are a fact of life. But when the next pandemic comes, the world must be ready – more ready than it was this time.”
