ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s minister for planning and development said Monday that authorities are struggling to maintain the much-need supply of oxygen to hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

Asad Umar, who also oversees Pakistan’s response to the coronavirus, said on Twitter that hospitals were continuously receiving coronavirus patients amid a surge in new cases.

He said currently more than 4,500 COVID-19 patients need critical care at hospitals, but many people are still violating social distancing rules. Umar said citizens are “making a huge mistake by not following” social distancing rules.

His warning comes hours after Pakistan reported 73 fatalities in a single day from the coronavirus and 5,152 new cases.

Pakistan has reported 16,316 deaths among 761,437 cases since last year.

So far, the government has resisted demands from doctors that it impose a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.