Coronavirus testing capacity increased three times in one week: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Saturday said that as per pledges made by the government, the coronavirus testing capacity in the country was increasing gradually and it has been increased by over three times within a week.

“On March 15, we had a capacity of 473 tests per day while during last three days, the tests made in the country were 5,800, 6,200, and 6,400 per day and by end of April it is likely that we will attain testing capacity of 25000 per day,” he added.

Addressing a televised media briefing on coronavirus here led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the minister said the meeting of National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) had decided to continue the government’s policy of maintaining balance between imposing lockdown to contain the virus and to open some selected sectors to avoid unemployment and hunger among the poor but with enhanced capacity.

“More protective measures would be adopted, health sector would be further strengthened by providing maximum facilities, and number of ventilators beds would also be increased,” he added.

Asad Umar said the meeting also decided that with the help of technology and other resources, all such people would be approached for testing with whom a person with positive coronavirus had met during previous few days.

The minister said the federal government did not blindly follow the West as was stressed by some sectors in the country which had yielded positive results as by maintaining balance, the virus did not spread rapidly and the poor daily wagers also did not hurt greatly.

He said now the world was also calling against complete lockdown and asking for maintaining balance between containing the virus and imposing lockdown.

“We made decisions according to our own ground realities and now the whole world is also doing what we have done already,” he added.

He said it was possible to root out the disease in two weeks if all people were locked in their homes, but in reality it was not possible because by doing so, thousands of people would die from hunger if not from the disease.

That is why we want to make a policy to introduce such a system in which common people should not be much affected, he added.

He said not only the poor but even the middle class people were also feeling the heat of ongoing lockdown in the country w the poor as well as middle class is also feeling the heat of lockdown to contain the virus.

Asad Umar reiterated that all decisions were being made in larger interests of the country and the nation and no politics was involved in them.