–Lahore reports first case of deadly virus after 54-year-old patient tests positive
–13 people who recently arrived from Taftan test positive in Sukkur
LAHORE/KARACHI: In the biggest single-day jump since the coronavirus was first reported in the country, 20 cases were confirmed on Sunday, taking the total number to 53.
Lahore Health Secretary Captain (r) Mohammad Usman on Sunday confirmed that a 54-year-old patient, who had returned to the country from the United Kingdom (UK) on March 10, has tested positive for the virus. The patient had been admitted to the Mayo Hospital on Saturday night after developing symptoms of the virus. The health secretary added that all the contacts of the patients have tested negative for the virus.
Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Sindh government, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, said that 13 people from Sukkur who had recently arrived from Taftan tested positive for the virus on Sunday. Following the confirmation of these cases, the total number of cases went up to 34. Wahab added that these people were purportedly kept in quarantine at the border.
Earlier, four new cases of coronavirus were detected in Karachi, said Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to the Sindh health minister. Three of the patients had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, while one has no recent travel history, Yousuf said. Later, the official also confirmed that another patient, who originally belongs to Balochistan and had travelled to Karachi, has tested positive for coronavirus.
The federal capital’s first secondary transmission case also emerged on Sunday morning. The latest case was of a husband of a woman who recently tested positive for coronavirus at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) after returning from the United States. There are now four COVID-19 patients at the isolation ward in PIMS, according to the health facility’s spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja.
CONTAINMENT MEASURES:
In order to contain the possible spread of coronavirus in Sindh, Mayor Wasim Akhtar directed the closure of parks and other entertainment facilities in the city under the control of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Court’s registrar issued a circular stating that the area’s courts will remain closed from March 16 to April 5 as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah also denied all rumours of a lockdown that had been circulating on social media. Shah said that neither is there a situation for a lockdown nor is there anything to worry about.
“All government steps are precautionary,” he said.
He added that some “elements” on social media were asking people to gather ration which he said were “unnecessary”.
Shah added that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had asked the chief secretary to write a letter to the FIA to register cybercrime cases against those who are spreading rumours. “The people should be confident that their government has the ability to solve all problems,” he added.
On Friday, the federal government had decided to adopt a number of precautionary measures to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, including sealing the country’s western border with Iran and Afghanistan and cancelling the Pakistan Day parade scheduled for March 23.
The National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, was attended by the provincial chief ministers and the civilian and military leadership.
The huddle had decided that all educational institutions in the country will be closed till April 5, while Pakistan’s border entry points with Afghanistan and Iran will be closed for two weeks.
According to an order issued by the NSC, the border closure would come into effect on Mar 16 “in the best interest of all three brotherly countries”.
It was decided during the meeting that only three airports in the country — Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore — will be allowed to operate international flights in limited numbers, while other airports will only allow domestic flights.
CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK:
Globally, the coronavirus has infected 156,00 people. Around 75,000 have so far recovered whereas over 5,800 people succumbed to illness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Europe has become the pandemic’s current epicentre after reporting more cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China where the coronavirus originated last December.
Health officials have urged the people to adopt a number of protective measures such as regularly and thoroughly clean their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. People have also been advised to maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between themselves and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Other protective measures include avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
