Emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 Variant: A wake‐up call for Pakistan's overburdened healthcare system

• Published in: Journal of Medical Virology 2021-05, Vol.93 (5), p.2595-2598
• Main Authors: Awan, Usman Ayub, Khattak, Aamer Ali, Afzal, Muhammad Sohail, Iqbal, Nauman, Nadeem, Muhammad Faisal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cost of Illness; COVID-19 - economics; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - virology; Delivery of Health Care - economics; Delivery of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Developing Countries; Humans; Letter to the Editor; Letters to the Editor; Mutation; Pakistan - epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Virology
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26825

Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is swiftly increasing from the past few weeks. In Pakistan, an unprecedented resurgence of COVID‐19 has been observed, and the current count has reached over half a million, with more than 9 thousand deaths so far. Dreadfully, a variant of concern (VOC‐202012/01), previously known as VUI‐202012/01, was first identified in the United Kingdom (UK). As of 13 December, more than 1,100 cases of this variant contagion have been reported throughout the UK. Alarmingly, the health department in Sindh has confirmed that 12 samples of UK returnees have been tested for genotype, six of them observed positive, and three of these showed the COVID‐19 variant in the early phase. As a low‐income country, Pakistan, with impoverished medical facilities persistent, shortage of healthcare personnel, increasing medical costs, shortage of medical equipment, and severe financial woes, cannot cater to the re‐epidemics of VOC‐202012/01 if it occurs, then the health sector might collapse. The current pandemic has uncovered significant challenges and flaws in Pakistan's emergency and health processes concerning infectious disease prevention. Efficient government interventions and concrete actions must be taken to educate peoples and deal with their wrong perceptions. If policymakers do not act wisely, the country will face a massive tragedy.