ISLAMABAD: A 10-member Chinese military medical team headed by Major General Huang Qingzhen visited the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The team was briefed about Pakistan’s efforts against the pandemic so far, as well as the future course of action including the country’s emergency response measures.
The delegation was also briefed on the National Test Track and Quarantine (TTQ) strategy – a major initiative launched by NCOC earlier this month. The strategy envisions ramping up testing to identify Covid-19 hotspots as a precursor to easing blanket lockdowns and moving towards a ‘smart’ containment model.
The visitors also shared their expertise and valuable input.
The Chinese military medical team is on an official visit to Pakistan. Various specialists including disease control, pulmonology, testing and nursing experts are part of the visiting team.
Detailing how the TTQ flowchart would work, officials said it begins with direct reports of Covid-19 cases from hospitals, laboratory walk-ins, national and provincial helplines, etc. From there, data is fed into the IDIMS, which will allow authorities to both trace those new patients have been in contact with and figure out where the virus hotspots are and what infection trends look like.
According to the officials, a TTQ apex committee comprising the focal person on Covid-19, the federal and provincial health ministers and each province’s health secretary will oversee the strategy. A TTQ execution cell, comprising four subordinate groups will report directly to the apex committee while providing support, assistance and guidance to existing provincial mechanisms, like the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs).
