Watched Zafar Mirza's interview last night. @OwaisTohid asked some very pertinent questions but the answers by health minister didn't inspire much confidence.

Here he talks about curve flattening in five months. Seriously misleading. Curve doesn't flatten on it's own. /1

You can predict peak only when you have taken the necessary steps (lockdown, aggressive testing, and contact tracing etc.)

Pakistan has slackened on these steps. hence the peak projection keeps shifting from one month to the other. /2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

Here Zafar Mirza is contradicting himself. If he is conceding that govt's data is not reliable beyond two weeks, how can he predict that peak will hit end July or early August? /3

Zafar Mirza also conceded that govt's approach was soft early on and they were now trying to enforce SOPs.

Clearly the strategy is reactive & consequently they are playing catch up. Unfortunate when they had the data from the entire world to make plans but relied on hope. /4

Zafar Mirza also said that reopening before eid may have played a role but insisted that many countries had not been affected by no lockdown.

Wrong and misleading. Such mixed messaging has become a hallmark of this govt's COVID-19 response. /5

Data from around the world clearly shows that all those countries that showed reluctance in lockdown or reopened prematurely suffered.

Our govt. previously kept citing Swden as an example to justify no lockdown. You don't hear that name anymore. /6
https://www.wsj.com/graphics/coronavirus-projections-for-shutdown-reopening-states/

Zafar Mirza claimed that black marketing and hoarding of drugs had been checked.

Well, data from the field suggests otherwise. Mainstream media is screaming that black marketing & hoarding is rampant. /7

Zafar Mirza said that plasma selling was an outcome of desperation in public. Agreed.

But @OwaisTohid rightly pointed out that the government is supposed to play a role in this situation. Redirecting a question towards a website info or blaming public doesn't really help. /8

Health advisor also conceded that hospitals in big cities were choked & health workers were under pressure.

But claimed hospitals in smaller cities still had capacity and asked people to use the app. Mind you he is talking about a country that is 70% rural & 60% illiterate. /9

The doctors are openly warning that hospitals outside major metropolitans lack required facilities. The same Zafar Mirza was claiming on May 29 that situation was perfectly under control.

PMA president refuted a similar claim by Asad Umar on weekend. /10 https://twitter.com/awaissaleem77/status/1273533847880306688

Zafar Mirza outlined a four-pillar strategy.

1) Mitigation (with everything open?)
2) Patient management (without proper facilities?)
3) Protection of health workers (accusing them of politics on demanding PPEs?)
4) Proper communication (through confusing/mixed messaging?) /11

These are some glimpses of the implementation of federal government's four-pillar strategy.

They can offer as many justifications as they want, but everything that could've gone wrong has actually gone wrong in their response strategy (if there has been any). /12

Zafar Mirza said that stopping the spread and contact tracing was being prioritized.

To start with, they are late already and evidence suggests that smart lockdown doesn't work. How ill they contact trace incoming flights without mandatory testing and testing & quarantine? /13

Haven't we learnt anything from bringing in international passengers and zaireen earlier without proper checks?

Also, weren't we told back in March/April too that hotspots will be sealed during "smart" lockdown. Clearly it didn't work. What's new now? /14

Zafar Mirza also said that complete lockdown could be an option if "God forbid" situation demands.

Does it mean that they'll wait for the situation to worsen further? The government apparently has not learnt yet that this pandemic demands them to be proactive, not reactive. /15

....and who will convince PM Khan that complete lockdown could be a viable option?

He and his advisors have not only been taking pride in no lockdown but citing "bad" examples (cometimes incorrect too) to justify such decision-making. /16

Zafar Mirza is right that people should adjust to "living with the virus" & take preventive measures.

Why did it take PM IK 4 months to start using a mask?

Why did he take a public position virus spread can't be mitigated?

Why govt. gatherings weren't socially distanced? /17

There's enough evidence by now that govt. actually added to the confusion.

Public never voluntarily acts responsibly anywhere in the world. You need enforcement. But it all starts with decisive leadership. Govt. appears to be panicking but are they learning anything? /18 *end*