Strategic Resilience: Pakistan’s Comprehensive Approach towards Combatting and Adapting to the Challenges of Covid-19

Abstract

The global consequences of COVID-19 extend beyond borders, race, and ethnicity, posing significant health challenges universally. While all countries grappled with the pandemic, underdeveloped nations faced heightened risks due to constrained financial and health infrastructure. The ongoing crisis has unpredictably tested societies, imperiling humanity, and global resilience. This situational analysis, conducted by the authors, involved data collection from the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 website and Pakistan’s Directorate of Central Health Establishments between February 2020 to March 2022. The study also encompassed a thorough review of recent articles, literature, news alerts, and publicly available data on COVID-19 in Pakistan. In response to the pandemic, Pakistan devised a comprehensive strategy, featuring a national action plan, the establishment of the national 1166 helpline, thermal screening, and active case finding at entry points, and the reinforcement of a surveillance system for contact tracing and case-based monitoring. This crisis has significantly impacted the mental health of healthcare workers and disrupted education, particularly in rural areas. Despite these challenges, a positive environmental outcome emerged as air quality improved during the lockdown.