COVID-19: Has Pakistan Proved Experts' Forecasts Wrong?
By Riaz Haq
CA
The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has recently assessed American travelers' risk of COVID19 infection in Pakistan as being among the lowest in the world. The Economist magazine has ranked Pakistan second in the world for return to the normalcy of pre-pandemic life.
These assessments stand in sharp contrast to Pakistan's low ranking for pandemic preparedness by the Global Health Index (GHI). GHS has also continued to rank India higher than its neighbors in spite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's disastrous handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in India that saw people gasping for breath and dying on the streets of major Indian cities. The health experts at GHS seem to be totally out of touch with reality. They are the epitome of the “ivory tower" academia.
US CDC Travel Risk Map. Source: CDC
US CDC on Pakistan
In its latest global travel advisory, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has placed Pakistan at level-2, a level assigned to just five countries in the world.
The agency has placed India at level-3, which includes countries where the chances of catching Covid-19 are high. Most of the countries, including North America and Europe, are placed in level-4 by the CDC.
Economist Magazine Normalcy Index. Source: The Economist
Economist Magazine Normalcy Index
The Economist magazine has its own ranked list of countries for return to pre-pandemic life. In its latest issue, the magazine says that "Activity is back at normal levels in just two of the countries we track: Colombia and Pakistan".
The Economist ranks Pakistan second in the world with a score of 106.6, just behind the first-ranked Egypt with a score of 107.4.
Pandemic Preparedness Map. Source: Global Health Security
Global Health Index
Global Health Security (GHS) Index measures the capacities of 195 countries to prepare for epidemics and pandemics. GHS has been publishing its rankings and maps since 2020 that continue to show that North America and Western Europe are the best prepared for pandemics.
(Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based Pakistani-American analyst and writer. He blogs at www.riazhaq.com)
