Director General Public Relations Inter Services Public Relations (DGISPR) – Major General Babar Iftikhar has confirmed that more than 75% of the oxygen being produced in the country has been directed towards the health sector in wake of increasing COVID-19 cases.
In a press-briefing on Monday (today), DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar confirmed that Pakistan Army troops have been deployed in 16 cities to assist civilian administration in enforcing COVID-19 SOPs and preventive measures.
Pakistan Army is currently deployed in Islamabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujrat, Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta and Muzaffarabad, said the army spokesperson.
A brigadier level officer will head the army troops at divisional level, while an officer with the rank of Lt Colonel will serve at district level, he added.
Furthermore, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar reassured that if the COVID-19 situation worsens, the rest of the oxygen supply will be diverted from industries towards health sector as well.
DG ISPR also revealed that Pakistan has more than 90,000 active cases of COVID-19 with 4,300 people are in critical condition as 51 cities have reported COVID-19 positivity ratio higher than 5%.
90% of the ventilators in hospitals are occupied in some cities, he added.
The Pakistan Army spokesperson reiterated that armed forces will stand by the nation in such adverse circumstances and called upon the Pakistani people for a responsible collective effort against the spread of the novel virus.
