Federal Minister for Planning and head of the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar has warned of a fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan next month.

In a tweet uploaded on Friday, Asad Umar said the new wave is possible in July urging the people to strictly follow the coronavirus guidelines to stay safe. 

The federal minister said the NCOC in its meeting analysed data which hinted that another wave of the pandemic can hit Pakistan if safety protocols are not implemented.

“Reviewed the artificial intelligence-based disease modelling analysis today in NCOC. In the absence of strong SOP enforcement and a continued strong vaccination program, the 4th wave could emerge in Pakistan in July,” Asad Umar tweeted.

“Please adhere to SOPs and vaccinate as soon as possible," he added. 

https://twitter.com/Asad_Umar/status/1408348088692097025

The third COVID-19 wave which hit the country in February proved deadlier than previous ones. During the third wave, the number of active cases in Pakistan crossed the 50,000 mark on March 31. 

Within one month, Pakistan's coronavirus figures almost doubled as on April 29, the country's active cases crossed the 90,000 mark.

Pakistan reported the highest coronavirus positivity ratio of 11.63% on April 4. As per the NCOC, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country stand at 952,907, while 897,834 people have so far recovered from the virus. 

Currently, there are nearly 33,000 active cases and the nationwide death toll stands at 22,152.

According to the NCOC's data, during the first wave, the number of active cases surpassed the 50,000 mark in June 2020 and then started to decline and finally, dropped to less than 6,000 by September.

The second wave of the pandemic hit the country in October after which the NCOC introduced restrictions, among which included shutting down schools and other educational institutions. 

By December, the number of active case had exceeded 50,000 and then, gradualy come down to the 16,000 mark in February 2021.

Pakistan kicked off its vaccination campain on February 2 and has so far administered 14,165,288 doses.