Factors behind low number of positive cases listed

Lack of adequate facilities to test even those at great risk for COVID-19 coupled with general reluctance to have oneself tested for coronavirus are cited as some of the main reasons for the visibly low number of reported coronavirus cases in Pakistan in comparison to other countries where this pandemic is unleashing devastation.
According to confirmed reports, the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan was 1,415 with 12 deaths, till the filing of this report on Saturday evening - low relative to other countries particularly the West. The first COVID-19 case in Pakistan was reported on February 25.
In the backdrop of limited resources and capacity of the existing medical facilities to treat an ever rising number of coronavirus patients in Pakistan, the federal government is asking citizens to stay indoors and get tested for coronavirus only if there are visible symptoms of this virus, a physician assigned to a major government hospital told Business Recorder, requesting anonymity.
"The number of coronavirus patients who seek urgent treatment even in countries like the United States and United Kingdom has outnumbered the existing medical facilities including ventilators and paramedics to treat the patients. In such a situation, we can well imagine the situation if people in big numbers show up at the hospitals for coronavirus tests and treatment," the source said.
Presently, the United States is leading the coronavirus cases' tally with 104,256 reported cases. The first coronavirus case in the US was reported on January 20. Over 1,300 patients in the US have died of this pandemic.
Speaking to Business Recorder, renowned epidemiologist Dr Rana Jawad Azhar said, the possibility cannot be ruled out that a large number of cases of coronavirus are unreported in Pakistan due to lack of COVID-19 screening facilities.
"However, the threat posed by coronavirus is determined by the mortality rate in any country which is quite low in Pakistan compared to the US and European countries. Death is something that cannot be hidden for long and it cannot go unreported. Keeping this factor in view, the situation in Pakistan is much better compared to those countries where COVID-19 is unleashing devastation," he said.
Vice Chancellor University of Health Sciences, Lahore, Dr Javed Akram said, "I think the number of coronavirus patients reported in Pakistan is just 5 to 10 per cent of the actual coronavirus cases. There are problems with our health sector and the screening system that detects COVID-19 in Pakistan is flawed."
He said 40 per cent of the patients tested positive for coronavirus are those who have no visible symptoms of this virus. He said people in Islamabad have more awareness regarding coronavirus compared to other cities, which, he said, explains the rise of reported coronavirus cases in the federal capital.
On Saturday, the number of coronavirus cases in Islamabad jumped to 39 from 25 recorded just a day earlier. The number of coronavirus is highest in Punjab, recorded at 497 followed by 457 in Sindh, 180 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 133 in Balochistan and 109 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir/Gilgit Baltistan. Some 25 people in Pakistan have recovered from coronavirus so far (till Saturday evening).
The first coronavirus case was reported in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. On March 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared coronavirus a pandemic. More than 190 countries of the world have been affected by this deadly virus. According to reports, more than 600,000 people infected worldwide by coronavirus with over 27,360 dead, and over 131,700 recovered worldwide (by Saturday evening).
The virus originated from China but, lately, the epicenter of its devastating impact has shifted from China to Europe and the WHO has named Europe as the new epicenter of coronavirus.