Sindh CM orders purchase of 5,000 COVID-19 testing kits
Sindh govt purchases 40,000 facemasks to overcome shortage
PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered the relevant officials to purchase 5,000 coronavirus testing kits, while chairing a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following the confirmation of second coronavirus case in Karachi and surfacing of multiple suspected cases.
According to the CM, so far, 53 tests for coronavirus cases from Sindh have been conducted, of which only two have been confirmed.
Addressing the meeting, the CM also said, "[The] government has released Rs100 million for adopting preventive measures and to deal with any emergencies [pertaining to coronavirus cases]."
He said that a taskforce was formed to deal with problem at the time of the confirmation of the first case and meeting had been held regularly since then. "I have been holding taskforce meetings, in which all relevant authorities and officials, including airport and aviation officials, Federal Investigation Agency, National Database and Registration Authority and World Health Organisation representatives, besides doctors participate.
The CM shared with the meeting that isolation wards, housing 118 beds, had been established at nine hospitals across Sindh.
Schools' registration suspended
Meanwhile, registration of 30 private schools in Sindh was suspended for violating Sindh government's order to remain closed till March 13, amid fear of crornavirus spread.
According Private Schools Registrar Rafia Javed, three teams visited 50 schools in Karachi and suspended the registrations of 18 of them for violating government orders, adding that altogether 119 schools were visited by the inspection teams in the province.
On Monday, registration of 58 private schools was suspended for the same reason.
Taskforce meeting
Later, at a coronavirus taskforce meeting, the CM was informed that eight samples were sent for screening from Sindh on Tuesday, and six of them were declared negative. Meanwhile, results for two remaining cases are awaited. Besides, four samples were sent for testing on Monday and all of them were cleared of infection.
The CM was also told that 2,534 pilgrims from Sindh had left for Iran and 764 of them had returned over the past 14 days. All of them were quarantined but none showed any symptoms of COVID-19, the meeting was told.
Sindh chief secretary said that he was corresponding with the Balochistan government and steps were taken to ensure that all pilgrims arriving from Iran were properly screened at Taftan.
At this, the CM remarked that the situation was under control as the government had taken strict measures.
Illegal entry
However, contradicting these assertions, a villager from Shikarpur District claimed on Tuesday that at least 50 persons from Iran had returned to his village without being screened anywhere.
Commenting on the matter, a health department spokesperson Meeran Yousuf said, "It seems that these persons entered [Pakistan] illegally."
The provincial health department has contacted the federal government on the issue and has requested it to keep strict check on the illegal entry of people from Iran to Pakistan.
A team of the health department, along with district administration officials, reached the village after the reports of people arriving there unscreened surfaced and began the screening of all pilgrims.
AKUH, DUHS debunk rumours
Amid rumours about the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday sought to dispel misinformation regarding the number of COVID-19 cases reported at their facilities.
"The AKUH is aware and has taken note of some individuals/groups posting fake and unsubstantiated news regarding the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and causing unnecessary panic," according to an official statement.
"We are actively screening patients to ensure we do not miss any case. To date, only one person has been confirmed to have COVID-19 at the facility," it added.
Meanwhile, the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday also issued a statement to dismiss the misinformation and rumours that 400 coronavirus patients have been admitted to the facility.
"We don't have even a single patient with coronavirus," clarified a statement issued by the DUHS. "The hospital administration has been in closed contact with the health department," it said.
Sindh, which had closed all educational institutes for Feb 27 and 28 following the official confirmation of the first case in Karachi, on Monday extended the closure till March 13.
Awareness messages
The Sindh Health Department, with the support of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), too has started sending audio and text messages to the general public to raise awareness about coronavirus.
The text messages are being sent in three languages, English, Urdu and Sindhi, while audio messages to residents of Karachi and Hyderabad are in English and Urdu and to those residing elsewhere in the province, in Urdu and Sindhi.
Sindh govt purchases 40,000 facemasks to overcome shortage
The Sindh government has purchased 40,000 imported surgical facemasks from private firm, Sindh Health Department officials told The Express Tribune on Tuesday. The government procured the masks from the firm, which officials believe, was planning to sell them at inflated prices.
The masks will be distributed to public hospitals.
Surgical facemasks had disappeared from the market after the confirmation of first coronavirus case in the country and those available were being sold at increased prices, as panicked citizens saw them as the only shield against coronavirus.
(With additional input from Tufail Ahmed.)
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered the relevant officials to purchase 5,000 coronavirus testing kits, while chairing a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, following the confirmation of second coronavirus case in Karachi and surfacing of multiple suspected cases.
According to the CM, so far, 53 tests for coronavirus cases from Sindh have been conducted, of which only two have been confirmed.
Addressing the meeting, the CM also said, "[The] government has released Rs100 million for adopting preventive measures and to deal with any emergencies [pertaining to coronavirus cases]."
He said that a taskforce was formed to deal with problem at the time of the confirmation of the first case and meeting had been held regularly since then. "I have been holding taskforce meetings, in which all relevant authorities and officials, including airport and aviation officials, Federal Investigation Agency, National Database and Registration Authority and World Health Organisation representatives, besides doctors participate.
The CM shared with the meeting that isolation wards, housing 118 beds, had been established at nine hospitals across Sindh.
Schools' registration suspended
Meanwhile, registration of 30 private schools in Sindh was suspended for violating Sindh government's order to remain closed till March 13, amid fear of crornavirus spread.
According Private Schools Registrar Rafia Javed, three teams visited 50 schools in Karachi and suspended the registrations of 18 of them for violating government orders, adding that altogether 119 schools were visited by the inspection teams in the province.
On Monday, registration of 58 private schools was suspended for the same reason.
Taskforce meeting
Later, at a coronavirus taskforce meeting, the CM was informed that eight samples were sent for screening from Sindh on Tuesday, and six of them were declared negative. Meanwhile, results for two remaining cases are awaited. Besides, four samples were sent for testing on Monday and all of them were cleared of infection.
The CM was also told that 2,534 pilgrims from Sindh had left for Iran and 764 of them had returned over the past 14 days. All of them were quarantined but none showed any symptoms of COVID-19, the meeting was told.
Sindh chief secretary said that he was corresponding with the Balochistan government and steps were taken to ensure that all pilgrims arriving from Iran were properly screened at Taftan.
At this, the CM remarked that the situation was under control as the government had taken strict measures.
Illegal entry
However, contradicting these assertions, a villager from Shikarpur District claimed on Tuesday that at least 50 persons from Iran had returned to his village without being screened anywhere.
Commenting on the matter, a health department spokesperson Meeran Yousuf said, "It seems that these persons entered [Pakistan] illegally."
The provincial health department has contacted the federal government on the issue and has requested it to keep strict check on the illegal entry of people from Iran to Pakistan.
A team of the health department, along with district administration officials, reached the village after the reports of people arriving there unscreened surfaced and began the screening of all pilgrims.
AKUH, DUHS debunk rumours
Amid rumours about the outbreak of coronavirus in the country, the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday sought to dispel misinformation regarding the number of COVID-19 cases reported at their facilities.
"The AKUH is aware and has taken note of some individuals/groups posting fake and unsubstantiated news regarding the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and causing unnecessary panic," according to an official statement.
"We are actively screening patients to ensure we do not miss any case. To date, only one person has been confirmed to have COVID-19 at the facility," it added.
Meanwhile, the Dow University of Health Sciences on Tuesday also issued a statement to dismiss the misinformation and rumours that 400 coronavirus patients have been admitted to the facility.
"We don't have even a single patient with coronavirus," clarified a statement issued by the DUHS. "The hospital administration has been in closed contact with the health department," it said.
Sindh, which had closed all educational institutes for Feb 27 and 28 following the official confirmation of the first case in Karachi, on Monday extended the closure till March 13.
Awareness messages
The Sindh Health Department, with the support of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), too has started sending audio and text messages to the general public to raise awareness about coronavirus.
The text messages are being sent in three languages, English, Urdu and Sindhi, while audio messages to residents of Karachi and Hyderabad are in English and Urdu and to those residing elsewhere in the province, in Urdu and Sindhi.
Sindh govt purchases 40,000 facemasks to overcome shortage
The Sindh government has purchased 40,000 imported surgical facemasks from private firm, Sindh Health Department officials told The Express Tribune on Tuesday. The government procured the masks from the firm, which officials believe, was planning to sell them at inflated prices.
The masks will be distributed to public hospitals.
Surgical facemasks had disappeared from the market after the confirmation of first coronavirus case in the country and those available were being sold at increased prices, as panicked citizens saw them as the only shield against coronavirus.
(With additional input from Tufail Ahmed.)