National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar rang alarm bells for citizens on Wednesday, saying the country was days away from having to take serious measures if the Covid-19 situation continued on the same trajectory.

The minister's remarks came during a press conference held following a meeting of the NCOC.

"This is the last chance to break the chain of daily Covid cases," the NCOC chief asserted. 

"If the Covid-19 trajectory continues in the same path then strict restrictions would have to be imposed in which major cities could be placed under a lockdown," the minister warned.

He urged citizens to take the pandemic seriously and follow the Covid-19 protocols for their sake as well as for those around them. "Otherwise the 'ultimate step' will be taken to curb the spread of the virus," he said.

The NCOC chief also warned that most Covid-19 related deaths would occur in the current week.

"Ramazan was supposed to be a month of religious practice. But we are picking up bodies of people who died of Covid-19," the minister lamented.

Sharing current statistics, the minister said that oxygen bed occupancy was 30 per cent in the third wave as compared to in the first wave. He also said that most major cities were using ventilators at 80 per cent capacity.

"About 90 per cent of an oxygen supply chain is being used," Umar warned, adding that these numbers would only increase and put more pressure on the country's healthcare system if people do not come to terms with the seriousness of the situation.

Earlier today, Pakistan recorded 5,499 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 772,381.

According to the NCOC, the country's death toll climbed to 16,600 after 147 people succumbed to the deadly disease during the last 24 hours. Most deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Meanwhile, 5,488 patients recovered from the deadly disease in a day taking the total recoveries to 672,619.

According to the NCOC, the total active Covid-19 cases across the country were reported to be 83,162.