Frontline health workers continue to suffer from the coronavirus pandemic as 3,088 of them have so far tested positive for Covid-19 in Pakistan and 29 have died of the disease.
Pakistan: Doctors end protest after successful talks #HealthWorkerProtest #HealthWorkerProtestPakistan #PPEshortage #Care4Carers #FrontlineHeroes https://t.co/8RntLdC17g Doctors ended their sit-in after 16 days following successful talks with the Punjab Health Department
— HealthWorkerProtest (@HealthWorkerPro) June 1, 2020
According to reports, the figures have been provided to the National Health Ministry in a report prepared by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Islamabad. “Out of total infected health workers, 1,815 of them are doctors,” it said, adding that 412 nurses and 861 other paramedical staff have also contracted Covid-19.
The reports said that 1,703 healthcare workers were self-isolated in their homes while 255 of them were being treated at the hospitals.
“Some 251 of the health workers admitted to hospitals are said to be in stable condition,” it said as overall 1,101 of them have recovered from the infection thus far.
Read More: Coronavirus impact on Pakistan’s hospitals increasingly negative
The report said that 29 health workers have died of the virus in the country.
Frontline health workers tested positive for COVID-19: violations of SOPs and the government’s stance
Two days ago, Pakistan reports the highest single-day virus deaths. Punjab has become the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
It is worth noting that the apex court not only ordered the reopening of shopping malls but also noted that Pakistan “is not … seriously affected” by Covid-19 and that there is no pandemic in the country. However, Pakistan has had at least 43,966 confirmed cases and more than 900 deaths since March, and the numbers keep rising. At least 500 Pakistani healthcare workers have been infected too, which shows that the country has been hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Notably, experts in Pakistan have warned against the premature easing of lockdown restrictions, fearing an exponential rise in infections. One healthcare worker said: “Everyone’s scared and exhausted. But we are fighting, we are pushing the limits. All we ask is that the government and people understand that they can help us help them by staying at home and providing us quality protective gear.”
Read More: COVID-19 world: Does the government or opposition have any plan?
Pakistan reports the highest single-day virus deaths but Pakistanis are largely violating the SOPs issued by the government to contain the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Dr. Ahmed Usman, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of the Punjab, Lahore, believes that: “Pakistani society is generally considered as a traditional society whose fabric is woven with the threads of norms, values, and cultures that are mostly shaped up by the complex theological underpinnings. Societal norms encourage social gatherings and overwhelming ways to express care, grief, and sorrow. The patterns of greetings are further formed as per religious frameworks that yet again emphasizes on kindness, generosity, and warmth ensured through reducing the physical gap between people. Religious rituals including Ibadaat at Mosques and religious congregations are considered compulsory in Islam. With this kind of widespread belief system, people believe that while they are in a state of ablution, no disease can harm them.”
As frontline health workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Pakistan, it reports the highest single-day virus deaths, Dr. Usman notes that “arguably, the belief system encourages them to violate the man-made rules of lockdown that they think are baseless and a conspiracy of enemies to weaken the connection between God and them. As lockdown restricts people from going to mosques and attending congregational prayers, it is considered an enemy’s tool to disconnect true Muslims from thy Lord.”