Islamabad, Jun 9 (IANS): Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases will continue to rise in the country, and a peak will be witnessed by the end of July or beginning of August.

In a televised address on Monday, the premier said that there might be difficult times ahead for the country if the people keep on taking COVID-19 as common flu, and do not follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) formed by the government to control the spread of the disease, reports Xinhua news agency.

Khan urged the people to follow the SOPs to slow down the spread of the disease as the option of locking down the whole country is not practicable in Pakistan.

"A lockdown does not mean it will end COVID-19. It can only slow down the spread of the virus. Sadly, the lockdown also slowed down the economy, creating hard times for our poor people.

"We have reopened the economy with SOPs and precautions so our poor people can earn a livelihood," he said.

Khan said that right now the government is making efforts to slow down the spread of the disease, "so that when we hit the peak, our hospitals are not overburdened and intensive care units are available during the peak. SOPs will help us achieve this".

The prime minister's address came after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases hit 100,000 in the country.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 103,671 with 2,067 deaths, according to the data by the country's Health Ministry.