The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two cases were recorded (a student in Karachi who had just returned from Iran and another person in the Islamabad Capital Territory). On 18 March 2020, cases had been confirmed in all four provinces, the two autonomous territories, and Islamabad Capital Territory, and by 17 June, each district in Pakistan had recorded at least one confirmed case of COVID-19.
Despite being the world's 5th-most-populous country, Pakistan only has so far recorded the world's 29th-highest death toll (at approximately 23,087) and 29th-highest number of confirmed cases (at approximately 1,011,708). However, these figures do not include under-counting of COVID-19 infections in the country.
Pakistan so far has experienced three different waves of COVID-19. The nation's first wave, which began in late May 2020, peaked in mid-June when daily new confirmed case numbers and daily new death numbers reached high points – and ended in mid-July. The first wave was marked by a low death rate, and passed very suddenly as case and death rates began to drop very quickly after peaking. After the first wave, Pakistan's COVID-19 situation subsided ,dand aily new death numbers and testing positive rates in the country stabilized at low levels. Cases and deaths began rising again, though, in early November 2020, culminating in the country's second wave. This wave was low in its intensity, mainly affected the southern province of Sindh, and peaked in mid-December 2020. The country's third wave began in mid-March 2021, when testing positivity rates, and daily new confirmed cases and deaths began to skyrocket. The third wave mainly affected the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This wave peaked in late April 2021, and since then, positivity rates, daily new case numbers, and daily new death numbers have been falling.
Pakistan's most populated province, Punjab, has so far seen the highest raw number of confirmed cases (334,000) and deaths (9,770). Sindh, the second-most populated province in the country, has seen the second-highest number of confirmed cases (308,000) and deaths (4,910), but was hit hardest by Pakistan's first two waves of the virus, and still has higher proportions of confirmed cases than all of Pakistan's other provinces. It also has the second-highest death rate, after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is Pakistan's third-most-populated province. While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (129,000), it has faced an exceptionally high fatality rate of 3.03% which has caused it to have the highest death rate out of any province and the third-highest number of deaths (3,920). In the southwest of the country, the sparse and arid province of Balochistan has seen the lowest confirmed case count (24,500) and the lowest death count (270) of all of Pakistan's provinces and has also shown the lowest number of confirmed cases per capita, as well as the lowest number of deaths per capita. The fatality rate in Balochistan is especially low, currently standing at 1.10%. Islamabad Capital Territory, which is richer than any of Pakistan's provinces, has confirmed 80,300 cases and has seen 745 deaths so far, giving it a higher number of deaths per capita and a higher number of confirmed cases per capita than any Pakistani province, while also having the lowest fatality rate in the country.
The country was put under a nationwide lockdown from 1 April and extended twice until 9 May. Upon its end, the lockdown was eased in phases. After the first wave, the country has battled COVID-19 by using "smart lockdowns" and enforcing SOPs.
The distribution of COVID-19 in Pakistan is heavily concentrated in a few key areas. The city of Karachi (as of 7 May 2021) has recorded about 189,000 confirmed cases, making up about 22% of all cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Lahore, the country's second-largest city, has recorded (as of 5 September 2020) 170,000 cases of COVID-19, making up about 19% of the country's cases. Islamabad Capital Territory and Peshawar District have recorded about 79,000 and 47,000 confirmed cases respectively as of the latest available data. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar account for about 485,000 cases, which make up over 55% of the country's total confirmed cases.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan is part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020, when two cases were recorded (a student in Karachi who had just returned from Iran and another person in the Islamabad Capital Territory). On 18 March 2020, cases had been confirmed in all four provinces, the two autonomous territories, and Islamabad Capital Territory, and by 17 June, each district in Pakistan had recorded at least one confirmed case of COVID-19.
Despite being the world's 5th-most-populous country, Pakistan only has so far recorded the world's 29th-highest death toll (at approximately 23,087) and 29th-highest number of confirmed cases (at approximately 1,011,708). However, these figures do not include under-counting of COVID-19 infections in the country.
Pakistan so far has experienced three different waves of COVID-19. The nation's first wave, which began in late May 2020, peaked in mid-June when daily new confirmed case numbers and daily new death numbers reached high points – and ended in mid-July. The first wave was marked by a low death rate, and passed very suddenly as case and death rates began to drop very quickly after peaking. After the first wave, Pakistan's COVID-19 situation subsided ,dand aily new death numbers and testing positive rates in the country stabilized at low levels. Cases and deaths began rising again, though, in early November 2020, culminating in the country's second wave. This wave was low in its intensity, mainly affected the southern province of Sindh, and peaked in mid-December 2020. The country's third wave began in mid-March 2021, when testing positivity rates, and daily new confirmed cases and deaths began to skyrocket. The third wave mainly affected the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This wave peaked in late April 2021, and since then, positivity rates, daily new case numbers, and daily new death numbers have been falling.
Pakistan's most populated province, Punjab, has so far seen the highest raw number of confirmed cases (334,000) and deaths (9,770). Sindh, the second-most populated province in the country, has seen the second-highest number of confirmed cases (308,000) and deaths (4,910), but was hit hardest by Pakistan's first two waves of the virus, and still has higher proportions of confirmed cases than all of Pakistan's other provinces. It also has the second-highest death rate, after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is Pakistan's third-most-populated province. While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (129,000), it has faced an exceptionally high fatality rate of 3.03% which has caused it to have the highest death rate out of any province and the third-highest number of deaths (3,920). In the southwest of the country, the sparse and arid province of Balochistan has seen the lowest confirmed case count (24,500) and the lowest death count (270) of all of Pakistan's provinces and has also shown the lowest number of confirmed cases per capita, as well as the lowest number of deaths per capita. The fatality rate in Balochistan is especially low, currently standing at 1.10%. Islamabad Capital Territory, which is richer than any of Pakistan's provinces, has confirmed 80,300 cases and has seen 745 deaths so far, giving it a higher number of deaths per capita and a higher number of confirmed cases per capita than any Pakistani province, while also having the lowest fatality rate in the country.
The country was put under a nationwide lockdown from 1 April and extended twice until 9 May. Upon its end, the lockdown was eased in phases. After the first wave, the country has battled COVID-19 by using "smart lockdowns" and enforcing SOPs.
The distribution of COVID-19 in Pakistan is heavily concentrated in a few key areas. The city of Karachi (as of 7 May 2021) has recorded about 189,000 confirmed cases, making up about 22% of all cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Lahore, the country's second-largest city, has recorded (as of 5 September 2020) 170,000 cases of COVID-19, making up about 19% of the country's cases. Islamabad Capital Territory and Peshawar District have recorded about 79,000 and 47,000 confirmed cases respectively as of the latest available data. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar account for about 485,000 cases, which make up over 55% of the country's total confirmed cases.
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan, Hubei, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.
Timeline
February 2020
On 26 February, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of the coronavirus. Zafar Mirza, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Health, stated in a tweet: "I can confirm first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan."
The first patient was a student at the University of Karachi, Karachi in Sindh province, while the second patient was from the federal territory of the country. Both patients had recently returned from Iran.
Within a week of the first two cases, Pakistan confirmed three is more cases, including a case in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad and also in Rawalpindi, Punjab.
March 2020
1–10 March – Early spread
The fifth case was also reported, on 2 March, from the federal area of the country, of a 45-year-old woman from Gilgit-Baltistan, who had also travelled from Iran.
On 6 March, Murtaza Wahab announced that the first patient in Karachi had fully recovered and was later discharged from hospital after testing negative. On 8 March, Pakistan confirmed its seventh case of COVID-19, also in Karachi.
The next day, Pakistan reported nine new cases in Karachi, meaning that there was a total of 16 cases of COVID-19, with Sindh having the highest number of cases, 13 altogether. Five of the new patients had travelled to Syria and some others patients had returned from London. Three new cases were confirmed on 10 March, including one in Hyderabad and the first case in Quetta, Balochistan.
11–19 March – Outbreak
On 11 March 76 suspected cases were reported in several districts of Punjab province, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Hafizabad and Lodhran. The Healthcare Department officials informed that ten patients were immediately cleared of the suspicion, while 55 patients were cleared after testing negative. A second case in Gilgit-Baltistan was confirmed the same day in Skardu leaving the tally at 20. A third case was confirmed in Gilgit-Baltistan in Shigar District on 12 March, who had a travel history of Iran and was reported to be under treatment at the Skardu hospital. The same day, Murtaza Wahab informed that the second patient of the virus had completely recovered. On 13 March, the Sindh Health Department identified a 52-year-old patient as positive, which marked the first case of local disease transmission as the patient had travelled from Islamabad. 24 of the 27 suspected cases in Khyber Pakhtunkwa were also cleared that day. 10% of International travelers were also infected but remained asymptomatic. At the end of the day, the total number of cases had risen to 28, with six new cases in Taftan and another in Sindh. By 14 March, the number of cases was 31 as two new patients were found positive in Karachi while one was reported in Islamabad.
Five more cases were announced in Karachi the next day on 15 March, including a second local transmission of the coronavirus in Sindh, while the other three had a travel history of Saudi Arabia and one had been to Balochistan. There was also a new case reported in Islamabad Capital Territory. Lahore Health Secretary, Mohammad Usman confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Punjab in the city of Lahore. The infected patient had returned from United Kingdom on 10 March and was shifted to Mayo Hospital in an isolation ward. The National Institute of Health reported 11 new cases in Sindh and 6 new in a mobile lab at the Taftan border area. and the first case in Punjab, increasing the tally to 53. On 16 March, a total of 134 new positives cases were registered, the majority of them, 116 in Sindh. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also reported its first 15 cases while 3 were found in Balochistan. This marked the sharpest increase so far as not only were more than a 100 cases were reported in a province within a day but also the number across the country reached 187. The tally had shot up to 237 with 25 new cases in Punjab, 12 in Sindh and 4 in Islamabad on 17 March.
By 18 March, the first case of coronavirus was reported from Azad Kashmir. The provinces of Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan saw an increase of cases by 36 and 10 respectively. New cases were also reported in other provinces. A patient from Hyderabad was also discharged after recovering in Sindh province, making the total number of recovered cases 5. A total of 302 positive cases were confirmed in Pakistan on 18 March. The first two deaths due to the virus in the country were also confirmed on the day. Both were reported from the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the first being a 50-year-old man who had recently from Saudi Arabia to Mardan District after performing Umrah in Mecca, while the second death was a 36-year-old from Hangu District. Both had been hospitalised in Peshawar.
The cases doubled by more than half from 33 to 80 in Punjab, and from 23 to 81 in Balochistan on 19 March. The rise in cases led the provincial government of Balochistan to declare a health emergency and impose a ban on public transport. The provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani stated that a relief package will be provided to the employees of transport companies. With a total of 159 new cases, the number confirmed cases jumped to 461.
20–31 March – First deaths
On 20 March, the first death was reported in Sindh. The patient was a 77-year-old who had acquired the virus through local transmission. The patient was a cancer survivor and had other underlying medical problems such as hypertension and diabetes. While in other provinces, the increase in number of new cases was lower compared to the past few days at 34 and the tally stood at 495.
On 22 March, the third death in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was announced. The first death in Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan were also announced on that day, meaning that the number of deaths increased to 6. The number of cases had also increased to 784 with 138 new cases. The fatality at DHQ Hospital in Gilgit was a doctor who contracted the virus after screening pilgrims returning from Iran. On 22 March, Gilgit-Baltistan went under lockdown for an indefinite period. 13 new pilgrims from Taftan via Dera Ghazi Khan were put in quarantine at Mirpur. Also on that day, Descon donated 10,000 hand sanitisers to hospitals in Punjab, whereas in Balochistan 26 drivers who transported the positive COVID-19 cases to hospitals were kept in quarantine.
On 23 March, many doctors across the nation complained about the lack of proper equipment for battling the virus. A spokesman for Doctors' Union in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, "We do not have personal protective equipment (PPE), or goggles, and even [face] masks we are buying from our own funds". Arrangements were made on the day by the Foreign Office to bring 72 Pakistanis stranded at the Doha International Airport in Doha, Qatar as it had decided to temporarily ban travellers from Pakistan and 14 other countries early in the month. The passengers were subject to strict screening upon arrival. Another flight was arranged to bring 150 citizens for the UAE stranded at Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airport. The Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani tested positive for the virus and self-quarrantined for 14 days that day. He recovered from the virus on 30 March.
On 24 March, Sindh and Balochistan observed lockdown until 7 April, while Azad Kahmsir went under it until 13 April respectively. Punjab also imposed lockdown on 24 March, but only until 6 April. In Sindh, the local police detained 472 people in various districts of the province the same day in violation of the lockdown, with 222 of them in Karachi alone and a total of 72 FIRs were registered on 24 March. The cases pertained to hoarding and profiteering of safety masks and hand sanitisers, large gatherings, opening shops and restaurants, and travelling in passenger buses. The provincial government of Sindh allowed 640 pilgrims quarantined in Sukkur to return home after being tested negative for the virus. The Chief Minister issued directives for the relevant deputy commissioners to receive the pilgrims on their return and monitor their health conditions for the next 10 days.
On 25 March, several restrictions were imposed in the capital territory of Islamabad. These included closing of the outpatient departments of hospitals, complete bans on intra-city, inter-district and inter-province public transport as well as gatherings in public and private places. Three new recoveries were announced as well as the eighth death in the country. The number of positive cases in the nation crossed 1,000 as the tally increased to 1,057. On 26 March 140 new cases were tested positive across Pakistan. One new death was reported in Punjab, meaning that the death toll increased to 9. The total number of cases reached 1,197. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries increased by 2.
On 27 March, Pakistan reported a total of 211 new cases, the first time the number crossed 200. Punjab also overtook Sindh as the province with the highest number of cases at 490, while two deaths were also reported there. The National Institute of Health (NIH) distributed N95 masks across Sindh, while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, screening teams were deputed at all district entry and exit points for the screening of visitors of COVID-19 patients. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the local government decided that all travellers coming from the Taftan border would be tested for COVID-19. The total number of positive cases in the country reach 1408, while 3 patients were discharged, making the recovered cases a total of 26 and two deaths occurred, taking the total number of deaths to 11. The NIH initiated district level trainings of high-dependency unit, isolation and quarantine staff across Punjab.
On 28 March, the Foundation set up by the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma and the Alibaba Group sent a second aircraft carrying various medical supplies to Pakistan. The aircraft was received in Karachi with at least 50,000 testing kits, large number of face masks, ventilators, and personal protective equipment (PPE), which were combined around two tonnes of supplies worth Rs 67 million. The same day, Pakistan allowed Thai Airways to resume its flight operation for Islamabad to bring back 175 Pakistanis stranded in Bangkok, Thailand. Meanwhile, the Government of Punjab announced a Rs 10 billion relief package for financial support of 2.5 million families of daily-wage earners.
The country reported an additional 118 cases on 29 March, taking the total to 1,526. One death each was reported in the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the total number of deceased to 13. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa developed and disseminated quarantine discontinuation guidelines. Also on the day, five Pakistani nationals visiting India on medical visas returned home via the Wagah border after being stranded in Noida and New Delhi due to the countrywide 21-day lockdown imposed by the Indian government. Two of them tested positive for the virus on 31 March. As the cases neared 500 in Sindh, the CM of the province said that the data showed 25% of cases were due to local transmission. He stated, "the local transmission ratio is worrisome and needs to be contained further."