Pakistan's COVID-19 Outbreak Preparedness and Response: A Situational Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate countries around the world. Pakistan has had a largely successful control strategy with fewer hospitalizations and mortality than its neighboring countries of China, Iran, and India. The aim of our study was to assess Pakistan's state of preparedness for and response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including its multifaceted approach in surveillance, response, and diagnostic services. The study was a situational analysis based on the 2020 World Health Organization COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. The authors collected national data from January to August 2020 from the government of Pakistan's COVID-19 website and Pakistan's Directorate of Central Health Establishments. We also conducted an extensive review of recently published articles on COVID-19, literature, news alerts, and publicly available data on COVID-19 in Pakistan. To address the COVID-19 pandemic, the country drafted a national action plan, developed mobile applications and the national 1166 helpline, conducted thermal screening and active case finding at all points of entry, and established and strengthened a surveillance system for contact tracing and case-based surveillance, with coordination at the federal and provincial levels. Additionally, a total of 134 laboratories have been designated in major cities for testing of COVID-19; 735 hospitals have been designated for the management of cases in isolation wards at federal, provincial, and regional levels; and dedicated quarantine places have been ensured. Despite being a resource-constrained country, the government of Pakistan has mounted a coordinated national effort using the best available resources. The government is rightly focusing on 4 major areas-surveillance, management, response, and coordination-in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.