The worst of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has started showing its signs. When a single day death number stands at 105, the second-highest since the disease outbreak in January, it means the country should have gone back to the preventive mode it had adopted in June last. The highest toll was reported on June 15 with 124 deaths in a day. Though the Punjab health officials are putting more blame on political, social and religious gatherings for a considerable spike in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths across the province, the government also must share the part of the blame for its unwillingness to not implement the SOPs. When warnings do not work, the officials should spring into action. It is feared the virus will further increase if preventive measures are not taken by the public as per the guiding principles issued by National Command and Operation Centre. According to the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department the overall positivity rate of infection in Punjab has gone up after the recent political gatherings in Multan and Lahore. The first wave ended, if September is to be taken its end point when the virus cases fell to under 50 a day, the total number of deaths stood at 6,000 plus and now, the countrywide death toll from Covid-19 has crossed the 9,000 number. Earlier, the virus was restricted to urban localities, but the second wave has started hitting those localities, which remained safe from the pandemic in its first wave. At the end of the day, the government will have to increase the capacity of hospitals, which have already reached the 100 per cent occupancy rate. The government may not want to enforce a sweeping lockdown on the country to save the economy, which is already under pangs due to the worldwide slow growth. It will, however, have to bear additional expenses to treat the coronavirus patients, which are growing every day. Right now, there are 440,000 confirmed cases in the country. If our bet is on the vaccine which has been put on the market in the US, the UK and China besides Russia, the government must clear it to the public about its arrival in Pakistan. The vaccine factor does not provide any excuse to the government and the public on taking preventive measures lightly. *