Imran seeks to quell virus panic

PM says personally overseeing measures to contain coronavirus; national tally of cases hits 33

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday called for caution, not panic in the face of the coronavirus cases, stressing that he was personally overseeing the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The prime minister took to the micro-blogging website, Twitter to announce that he would address the nation “soon” as the authorities concerned reported emergence of five new cases in the country, taking the national tally to 33.

I want to inform the nation I am personally overseeing measures to deal with COVID 19 & will address the nation soon. I would advise people to follow safety instructions issued by our govt. While there is a need for caution there is no need for panic.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2020

The PM’s tweet came hours before the first meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Coronavirus, which was formed by the National Security Committee (NSC) during a meeting held in Islamabad on Friday night.

With first coronavirus case in Islamabad, Pakistan's tally soars to 31

In the tweet on his official handle, Imran said he would address the nation soon and urged the people to follow precautionary measures issued by the government, stressing that “while there is a need for caution there is no need for panic”.

In a follow-up tweet, the prime minister said that the government was on high-alert and had implemented “sufficient protocols for the safety and health of our people”, which had been appreciated internationally.

We are alert to the dangers & have put in place sufficient protocols for the safety and health of our people. The WHO has commended our efforts as being amongst the best in the world.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2020

“We are alert to the dangers and have put in place sufficient protocols for the safety and health of our people. The WHO [World Health Organisation] has commended our efforts as being amongst the best in the world,” he added.

The government has gone all out to prevent any outbreak of coronavirus in the country by closing schools and cinemas; sealing Iran and Afghan borders; limiting international flights; discouraging large gatherings and cancelling the joint military parade on March 23.

The meeting, attended by civilian and military leaders, also decided to formulate the NCC, which held its first meeting on Saturday to review the overall situation with regards to coronavirus on a daily basis.

The NCC meeting was chaired by State Minister for Health Dr Zafar Mirza, who is also convener of the committee. The provincial chief ministers also joined via video link to discuss the measures for containing the virus.

Those present at the meeting included the director general of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) besides special assistants to prime minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and Moeed Yusuf.

The meeting reaffirmed the government's commitment to utilise all resources to protect people from the contagion. “Coronavirus is a national challenge and implementation of the national action plan is being ensured to cope with the situation,” Dr Mirza told the meeting.

The committee was informed that the federal and provincial governments were on the same page on implementing a unified policy to protect Pakistan from the virus and that the provinces had started implementing the decisions taken by the NSC on Friday.

Noting that the federal government had taken several steps during the last one month for the prevention of the disease, the participants expressed confidence that due to a better strategy there was no chance of an outbreak of the disease in Pakistan.

It was informed that all educational institutions, including public and private schools, universities, vocational institutions and madrassas had been closed in the country till April 5, while effective screening mechanism had been adopted at all points of entry (POE).

The meeting decided that all possible steps would be taken to ensure implementation of the national action plan. It was also agreed that the health and information ministries as well as the ISPR would update the people about the disease situation.

Giving an overview of the situation, Mirza said that a disease diagnostic facility was being provided to Gilgit-Baltistan with the support of National Institute of Health (NIH). In all, he added, eight laboratories had been providing disease diagnostic facilities to the people.

These facilities include the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad; Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore; Public Health Laboratory, Lahore; Nishtar Medical College, Multan; Public Health Laboratory, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar; Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi; Dow Medical University, Karachi and Public Health Laboratory, Quetta.

Mirza added that a diagnostic facility was being provided to Gilgit-Baltistan with the support of the NIH.

He said that isolation rooms had been allocated in hospitals throughout the country. He stressed that in case of any suspected coronavirus patient, information should be shared immediately with the health officials, doctors or at the health ministry's helpline number 1166.

Mirza said that so far 28 confirmed coronavirus cases had been reported throughout the country. However, hours later, the number rose to 33 with emergence of five new cases, two each in Sindh and Balochistan and one in the federal capital.

With two new patients in Karachi, the number of cases in Sindh has reached 17. The two cases in Balochistan have pushed the province’s tally to 10. A woman, who had recently arrived in Islamabad from the US, makes the first confirmed case of the disease in the federal capital.

Dr Waseem Khawaja, the spokesperson for the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), said that the patient was admitted to PIMS a couple of days ago.

“She is on a ventilator in critical condition.”

The Sindh Health Department confirmed the two new cases in the economic hub of the country. One of the patients is aged 38 years and had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia. The other is 20 years old with no travel history. However, the patient's father had recently returned from the UK.

Balochistan's Irrigation Minister Tariq Magsi confirmed that the coronavirus cases in the province rose to 10 on Saturday, who belonged to Sindh, Quetta and Parachinar in Kurram district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He added that the patients had been admitted to different hospitals of Quetta.

Speaking at a press conference, he said some 2,400 people had been kept in quarantine in Taftan, of the Pakistan-Iran border, while another 414 were kept in Quetta. Officials have said that those with no symptoms of the disease had been allowed to leave Taftan.

Some 300 people reached Sukkur from Taftan and the local authorities have sent their samples for testing at laboratories in Karachi. Officials said special units at two hospitals, with capacities of 120 and 100 beds, were being established on the outskirts of the city for the treatment of coronavirus patients. (With additional input from our correspondents in Karachi, Gilgit and Quetta)

 

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