Pakistan equipped to diagnose coronavirus: Mirza

199 information booths have been set up at various airports to cope with threat of coronavirus, says Dr Zafar Mirza

SWAT/ ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Amid the cacophony of global alarm bells over the novel coronavirus, Pakistan’s de facto health minister said on Sunday his country is now equipped to diagnose the mysterious contagion after the arrival of at least 1,000 testing kits from China.

In a series of tweets, Dr Zafar Mirza, the prime minister’s aide on National Health Services, appreciated the National Institute of Health (NIH) team “for their hard work in securing the reagent for diagnosing” the virus, which triggered declaration of a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Jan 31 following its proliferation to more than two dozen countries.

194/ Alhamdolilah, as of today we have now capability of diagnosing #Coronarivus in Pakistan. I want to applaud our NIH leadership and team for their hard work in securing the reagent for diagnosing. pic.twitter.com/nb9jll4JwP

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) February 2, 2020

The infestation, which is believed to have originated in a wet market of the central Chinese city of Wuhan – which remains under virtual lockdown ever since – has claimed 304 lives, all but one in China, and infected thousands of people worldwide.

Dr Mirza said as many as 199 health information booths have been set up at various airports to provide answers to queries about the mysterious illness. “Health information booths have been set up at airports to provide answers to queries about coronavirus and disseminate important standardised information materials."

196/ To the families of the Pakistani students in China : we fully understand your anxiety. Rest assured that we are working very hard to ensure their safety & wellbeing. And we are very closely monitoring the situation.

— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) February 2, 2020

Another landmark in a very short time is the completion of coronavirus clinical care and prevention guidelines, he said, adding that it includes full instructions on case definition, inpatient/outpatient treatment, handling of diagnostic samples and even home care.

The PM’s aide added that testing for the virus would be conducted at the NIH, Islamabad, but if need arises it would be expanded to other cities. "Samples collected from across the country will be sent to the NIH where they will be tested," he said.

According to Dr Mirza, tests would start from Monday (today) at the NIH and within 24 hours the reports would be available.  He announced that more testing kits would arrive from Japan within two days.

Hundreds of Pakistani students are stuck in Wuhan city, but the government has said it would not evacuate its citizens from China as a precautionary measure. However, Dr Mirza said Pakistan’s Embassy in Beijing has set up hotlines to provide assistance to the community in China.

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Medical supplies sent to China

The medical supplies from Pakistan reached Wuhan, the epicentre of the viral outbreak, on Sunday.  The shipment incudes 300,000 medical masks, 800 hazmat suits and 6,800 pairs of gloves from the stocks of public hospitals across the country.

South Korea also offered large amounts of medical and anti-epidemic materials to China, including two million face masks, one million medical masks, 100,000 hazmat suits and 100,000 pairs of goggles.

These supplies are being transported to Wuhan in shipments. The governments of Russia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Australia, Algeria, Iran and Turkey among other countries have also offered donations of anti-epidemic medical supplies in a show of their firm support for China's fight against the outbreak.

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Data collection

A special health committee has been formed to collect data of Chinese nationals and Pakistani engineers working on different development projects under CPEC in the Malakand Division after a suspected case of coronavirus surfaced in Swat district.

According to a statement issued by the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals Medical Superintendent Dr Naeem Awan, a patient identified as Muhammad Yasir from Odigram area of Swat was admitted to the hospital due to severe flu but not coronavirus.

Dr Awan said the patient was kept under observation for three days. As a precautionary measure, a 10-bed isolation ward has been established at the Saidu Medical College where senior medical officers have been posted until further orders.

An official at the Malakand Commissioner Office said that no case of coronavirus has been reported in the district, but precautionary measures have been adopted in Malakand Division.  “The reason behind the precautionary measures was presence of Chinese nationals working on CEPC projects,” a source said.

He clarified that no confirmed case of the novel coronavirus has been detected in Malakand. “The health of the suspected patients kept in isolation wards improved with treatment,” he said, adding that these cases could be termed acute flue or chronic flu.

The source stated that the district administration and health department have taken precautionary measures, adding that several separate wards for suspected coronavirus patients have also been set up at Shangla, Swat, Dir and Chitral district headquarter hospitals.

Further, Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Muhammad Asim said a suspected case of coronavirus had been reported.  A 24-year-old man from Mardan had recently returned from Qatar and was admitted to a hospital where his condition did not improve so he was referred to the LRH.

Asim said the patient underwent several tests and the samples were shared with the NIH for confirmation. “We have not yet received any reports.”

The spokesperson said they had taken all emergency and precautionary measures.

 

(With additional input from APP)