Centre to ramp up critical care capacity in Karachi as Delta spreads
An oxygen tank has been installed in Sindh Government Services Hospital. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS: File
The federal government will be ramping up critical care capacity in Karachi as the Delta variant continued to spread unabated in the city, announced the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday.
In a tweet, the NCOC stated that it “critically reviewed” the rapid spread of the virus in the city and decided to assist the Sindh government through all possible measures.
It added that the Centre will ramp up critical care capacity including ensuring availability of oxygenated beds and vents.
The federal government will also be assisting the provincial government through deployment of law enforcement agencies for implementation of SOPs and other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).
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During a press conference, held a day earlier, NCOC chief Asad Umar highlighted the severity of the disease and its rapid spread in Sindh.
He informed that the rate of SOP compliance was the lowest for Sindh in the entire country, at 33%.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that hospitals in Karachi were under clear burden.
The positivity rate of the country was at 7.5% with 50% of critical care patients in hospitals due to Covid-19.
Umar reiterated that shutting cities down was not viable solution in the long term.
“As soon as the numbers decrease, we start thinking that the virus is finished. However, our actions are directly linked to the spreading of the virus”, he claimed, adding that the only solution is vaccinating against the virus.
The federal government had also warned of a sudden surge in the rate of virus positivity, stating that the healthcare system was overwhelmed with an increased demand of oxygen.