"Surrogate indicators" will show if Covid-19 surge has hit: Dr. Afzal
A surge in number of cases is projected towards the end of May with a peak expected on the 31st
Dr. Ibrahim Afzal
The projected Covid-19 surge can be detected through “surrogate indicators”.
While Dr. Ibrahim Afzal had previously said that the they cannot be certain if a surge has reached with the current testing capacity, the doctor on Thursday night stated that “there will be surrogate indicators” to show if the surge has hit.
Speaking at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Covid-19 press briefing, the doctor said that they are not just relying on cases identified through active surveillance.
Hence, Dr. Afzal said that a surge in cases can be detected even with the current testing capacity. However, he said that he hopes that the capacity is increased “if surrogate indicators are seen”.
He also said that there is work to increase active surveillance.
Furthermore, Dr. Afzal stated that a lockdown “is one of the most effective measures to reduce a surge” and added this might one of the reasons that the surge has not reached.
He also noted they hope that the surge “will be low, if it reaches”.
As per the new Covid-19 projections, a surge in number of cases is projected towards the end of May with a peak expected on the 31st.
As such, the projections show 1,562 new cases being detected on peak day, and that at least 34 of the patients will be hospitalized while 12 are expected to require intensive care.
