Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza Sunday said that there is some stabilization at the global level as the disease curve is straightening, which means that the situation may stabilize in the days ahead.
It is said that the corona may remain in Pakistan until June, while Europe and America may probably manage the pandemic until May.
He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) sent all Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) directly to the hospitals across Pakistan. Until now, the equipment has been delivered to 204 hospitals in Punjab, 100 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 80 in Sindh, 11 in Islamabad, 8 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4 in Balochistan.
“If you are working in a hospital treating COVID-19 patients and want to know how much equipment your hospital has received, just visit the NDMA website and in the ‘Supplies’ pulldown menu, you will find details of all protective equipment sent to hospitals thus far,” he advised physicians, nurses, and paramedics in his television briefing here.
Dr. Zafar maintained that the availability of PPEs had improved and was no longer an issue; however, “there are still some problems relating to the usage of PPEs.” He said the federal and provincial governments were working towards this end, and a campaign would soon be launched on the use of PPEs.
Until now, 1,668 N95 masks, 484 goggles, 3,153 protective suits, 1,502 shoe coverings, 26,643 surgical masks, 1,636 caps, 23,658 gloves, 430 face shields, and 1,204 gowns have been distributed to 11 hospitals in Islamabad, according to the NDMA website.
Dr. Zafar Mirza also shared that the names and addresses of several thousand reported cases of Covid-19 had been shared with the provinces in compliance with the Tag, Monitor and Quarantine (TTQ) policy, which would allow for the location of confirmed cases and their contacts and the isolation of confirmed patients for disease containment.
“And the number of tests per day will increase as well,” he said. Sharing the latest numbers, Dr. Zafar said, with over 200,000 deaths and 837,000 recoveries, there were now more than 2.9 million confirmed cases worldwide.
6,218 tests have been carried out inside Pakistan in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests to 144,365. There are 13,218 confirmed patients in the country, 783 of whom were confirmed in the last 24 hours, with 332 cases registered by the Punjab, Sindh 287, KP 85, Balochistan 66, Islamabad 12 and GB 1. “Balochistan registered more relaxed than usual,” the SAPM underlined.
A total of 2,866 confirmed patients have recovered in Pakistan — 111 in the last 24 hours — while 3,389 are admitted to hospitals, of which 49 are critical and on life support. For any given day, for average, 47 people are on ventilators. Seventeen people have lost their fight over Coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll of the nation to 277.
Of the 277 deaths reported until 9:16 pm, 98 have died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 81 in Sindh, 11 in Balochistan, 3 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 81 in Punjab and 3 in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
With more than 80 percent of patients in Pakistan contracting the infection from fellow people, the epidemic is now largely driven by local transmission. From Punjab 5,446 of the 13,218 positive cases so far have been identified, followed by Sindh 4,615, KP 1,864, Balochistan 781, Gilgit-Baltistan 318, Islamabad 235, and AJK 59.
The total optimistic percentage is 8.8%, with the quarantine percentage being 15%.
Dr. Zafar ended the briefing with regular advice from the public to follow social distancing and limit movement outside. APP adds: Dr. Zafar Mirza assured the government full support in resolving the doctors’ legitimate complaints in treating corona patients.
“The current government is well aware of the paramedic staff’s problems including nurses, technicians and physicians,” he said. The demand from doctors addressing press conferences urging the government to go for a full lockdown is not a feasible choice, he said, adding that a complete shutter-down will add to the miseries of the daily wagers and the working community.
Nevertheless, besides a strict lockdown in the areas where coronavirus patients had been identified, he said social distancing and other precautionary steps could be needed to protect the population living there.
He has dismissed the interpretation of some elements in this regard to a concern about the political motivations behind these conferences conducted by doctors. He thanked paramedics, doctors, and nurses for their frontline role in medical care.
To another issue, in consultation with religious scholars, the government said, and Ulema had required the mosque administrations to follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in addition to other precautionary measures provided to them for the safety and security of people visiting the mosques. He further claimed that Pakistan was a poor country and a full lockdown would present new problems for the poor segment of the society.
