Sindh sees drop in Covid cases, testing

Province decides to carry on educational activities with 50% attendance

KARACHI:

Amid fears of a third wave of the pandemic in the country and as Sindh enters the second phase for coronavirus vaccinations, Covid-19 testing in the province has drastically dropped as has the number of new infections. Sindh government officials say that while we cannot throw caution to the wind, the province is still faring well with regards to the pandemic.

On Wednesday the Sindh government decided not to close educational institutions in the province and continue with its policy of 50 per cent attendance.

The effect on students and teachers of suspending educational activities for prolonged time periods will be adverse, said Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho during the meeting of the National Command Operation Centre held on the day.

A moderate and more effective measure would be to curb the number of persons present in schools at any given time and to test students, faculty and staff regularly, she said. The minister urged the meeting to vaccinate the more vulnerable demographics as rapidly as possible.

Read: Sindh to continue 50% student attendance policy

She added that Sindh was still faring well with regards to the pandemic given a lower rate of infection in recent days. The isolation ward at Karachi Expo Centre has been put on standby now as there are fewer patients who require its services currently, she apprised the meeting.

‘Schools under observation’

Shortly after the NCOC meeting in Islamabad, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that the province would adhere to decisions taken on February 1 and educational activity would continue with 50 per cent attendance on campuses.

Speaking to the media, Ghani apprised that 141 schools and four colleges have been sealed thus far after positive cases emerged there.

When contacted, Sindh Health Director General Dr Irshad Ahmed Memon maintained that the situation was being closely monitored since January. “Every school is under our observation, including those in far flung areas.”

“We are more conscious and more active than any other province,” said Dr Memon. “The number of positive cases is going down and there is no third wave coming to the province.”

Elaborating further, he said that the current positivity rate in Sindh was at 2.6 per cent. “The positivity rate fluctuates but it is under control,” he added.

Covid testing sees a drop

According to the recent statistics shared by the health department and the Sindh Chief Minister’s House, a total of 9,964 persons were tested for the contagion and only 256 new infections emerged on Wednesday.

A day prior, on March 9, the number of tests conducted was 7,499 and 194 new infections were reported.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the health department spokesperson said that people were no longer coming for testing themselves. “The masses understand the virus now and they avoid direct contact with healthy people [now],” the official maintained, adding that most hospitals were testing only those patients who needed to undergo surgery.

In February the number of Covid-19 tests conducted on average was over 11,000 while in January the number of average tests daily was over 14,000.

Dr Memon also agreed that the number of tests had decreased. This is because of several reasons, he said. “Interestingly, the majority of people follow the SOPs,” he added, citing one reason.

Also read: NCOC lifts curb on commercial activities amid decline in Covid-19 cases

Vaccinations in second phase

Meanwhile, the first phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive is almost complete and on Wednesday, the second phase - inoculating the elderly - was initiated.

The government data indicates that there are roughly 400,000 health workers in Sindh, including those serving at private hospitals and charity organisations. Whereas the number of persons over the age of 60 is around 3.5 million - or seven per cent of Sindh’s population, according to health department officials. “For these people we need seven million doses,” said Dr Memon. “The general population will be vaccinated in the third phase,” he added.

There are 200 active vaccination centers in Sindh while 200 more are being prepared. To vaccinate the general population a total of 600 centres will be required, said the health department officials.

Sindh is the only province in the country where vaccination centres remain open on Saturday and Sunday,” said Dr Memon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2021.