Frontline health practitioners in Multan continue to contract coronavirus even after receiving the second dose of vaccination.
Official sources seeking anonymity revealed that the government lacks laboratory facilities in the city to detect new variants of coronavirus, including the deadly UK mutant virus.
“So far no sample from infected personnel has been sent to Islamabad for testing in spite of the deadly threat posed by the new virus variants,” he informed The Express Tribune. However, the focal person of Nishtar Hospital refuted the claims that a new strain has started affecting hospital staff.
He said staff members who are suffering from coronavirus despite receiving inoculation against coronavirus have almost no symptoms demonstrating the onset of disease while the detection kits demonstrate their positivity.
“This means that the virus infecting them is the one that already exists, it didn't change its shape,” he explained.
These days the process of coronavirus vaccination of healthcare workers is under way. More than 5,844 healthcare workers have been given both doses of the vaccine.
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Sources in the hospital confirmed that Dr Ali Raza, AMS Admin of Nishtar Hospital, and a staffer Shazia have contracted coronavirus even after getting the second dose of coronavirus vaccine. In both cases, however, the symptoms were mild.
Experts have underlined the need to conduct genetic sequencing of the virus through multiple sampling to know whether the virus has changed its form or not.
Furthermore, gene sequencing of people diagnosed coronavirus positive or even those suspected of carrying the virus must be carried out to determine which Covid-19 variant they are affected from.
At the moment, South Punjab including the city of Multan does not have the necessary equipment to conduct genetic tests on virus.
Nevertheless, the focal person of Nishtar Hospital for coronavirus and other epidemiological diseases, Dr Irfan has said that it is very important to get the coronavirus vaccine. “Antibodies begin to form two weeks after a person receives the two doses of the vaccine that build up immunity against the pandemic,” he highlighted.
On a question regarding sending coronavirus samples to NIH Islamabad for genetic sequencing, he said consultations are under way.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2021.
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