COVID-19 does not spread easily from contaminated surfaces, animals: US website

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA 
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The coronavirus primarily spreads from person to person and not easily from a contaminated surface, according to a report published in the Washington Post, which quoted latest update in ‘How COVID-19 Spreads’ website, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). 

Noting that spreading very easily and sustainably between people, it was clarified that the sources were not major risks. It has been explained that touching contaminated objects or surfaces did not appear to be a significant mode of transmission and the same was true for exposure to infected animals. 

“Our transmission language has not changed. COVID-19 spreads mainly through close contact from person to person,” CDCP spokesperson, Kristen Nordlund, remarked while revealing that the revisions were the product of an internal review and usability testing.

“The virus travels through the droplets a person produces when talking or coughing, An individual does not need to feel sick or show symptoms to spread the submicroscopic virus. Close contact means within about six feet, the distance at which a sneeze flings heavy droplets,’ the CDC website added.

“Direct contact with people has the highest likelihood of getting infected, being close to an infected person, rather than accepting a newspaper or a FedEx guy dropping off a box,” virologist Vincent Munster, a researcher in the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases facility in Hamilton, Mont, was quoted as saying.

Munster and his colleagues showed in laboratory experiments that the virus remained potentially viable on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic and metal surfaces for up to three days. But the virus typically degraded within hours when outside a host.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh's infection tally surpasses 40,000

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh’s overall COVID-19 infection tally surpassed 40,000, with overall 696 deaths, on June 9 when the authorities confirmed detection of another 1,748 new cases across the province with a daily positivity rate at 25%. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, delivering his routine COVID-19 status report, informed that the infection rate was very high and situation was getting bad to worse due to disrespect to the preventive measures.

“People should help government save the lives of citizens by following the standard operating procedures,” he added saying that as many as 446 coronavirus patients were still in critical condition.

In a video message, the Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, announced that the provincial government will establish additional five hospitals in Karachi to overcome the COVID-19 situation.

“We will have 800 new beds in various high dependency high dependency units by the end of July, she added and informed that makeshift COVID-19 setting at the Karachi Expo Centre will get a 140-bed high dependency facility by the end of June,” she said. 

In the meantime, according to an official report, in all 21 hospitals in Karachi were having 57 ICU beds, 250 HDU beds vacant, in addition to 96 unoccupied 96 isolation units, as of June 9, at 11 am. These hospitals had 160 COVID-19 patients in the ICUs and 252 in HDUs, while another 170 patients in the isolation units.

As on June 8, among the hospitals, Civil Hospital Karachi was bearing the maximum load of 166 patients, followed by Dow Universality Hospital (120), Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (108), PNS Shifa Hospital (84) Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (79), Aga Khan University Hospital (78) and other hospitals. 

On the other hand, 444 COVID-19 patients were under treatment in the Karachi Central Prison, while another 60 were receiving treatments in the government-run field isolation centre. 

According to Sindh health department data, updated on June 9, Sindh’s overall tally of infection stood at 41,303, including 1,748 new cases detected during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on June 8, with 17 new deaths including 12 fatalities in Karachi. 

It was reported that six males in the age brackets of 52 to 65 years and six women aged from 54 to 72 years died at Karachi. However, there was no information from the government about the places of deaths of the victims. 

In addition, two deaths, a 48-year-old man and a woman of 65 years, were reported from Kambar Shahdadkot while Larkana and Hyderabad reported death of one man each. The two deceased were aged 65 and 53 years.  The government also confirmed death of a 43-year-old man, among the ‘out of province residents.’ 

As per the department’s summary, Karachi reported a total 1,408 new cases on June 9, followed by Sukkur (102 new cases), Hyderabad (47), Ghotki (24), Badin (18), Shaheed Benazirabad (17), Jacobabad (16), Khairpur (15), Shikarpur (15), Jamshoro (14), Kashmore (9), Sujawal (6), Umerkot (6), Naushehro Feroze (4), Thatta (2), Tando Mohammad Khan (2), Tando Allahyar (2), Mirpurkhas (2) and Sanghar (1). 

Meanwhile as many as 19,896 patients have recovered from the disease, 20,711 were still receiving treatments at homes (19,246), hospitals (1,461) and isolation centres (41). Sindh has tested 264,517 samples so far.

CDWP approves seven more projects worth PKR 29.351 billion

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), on June 9, approved seven projects worth PKR 29.351 billion. 

The CDWP meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Mohammad Jahanazeb Khan, in Islamabad. 

The CDWP also approved one concept clearance proposal worth PKR 3.794 billion, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives tweeted. 

Jahanzeb Khan reckoned that the federal government has made a landmark achievement in Pakistani’s planning history, where the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) would comprise of all the approved projects. 

The inclusion of only approved projects in the PSDP would enable the CDWP to focus on implementation, monitoring and evaluation aspects of these approved projects.

SRO allowing export of PPEs, hand sanitizers issued

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, has revealed that the notification allowing export of PPEs and hand sanitizers has been issued. 

“The government has done its part,” he said while referring to the Ministry of Commerce SRO 526(1)2020 dated June 9 issued in this regard. 

The Advisor on Commerce has urged the exporters to take advantage of the notification and proceed at full speed ahead to capture lion’s share of the products in world market. 

Razak Dawood reiterated again that the notification did not apply to Tyvek suits, N95 masks and surgical masks.

Steel cutting ceremony of PN ship held

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The steel cutting ceremony of MILGEM Class Corvettes, to be constructed for Pakistan Navy, was held at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) on June 9. 

The Managing Director, KS&EW, Admiral (rtd) Ather Saleem, was the chief guest on the occasion, Rear Admiral M Arshad Javed, Spokesperson and Director General Public Relations, Pakistan Navy, tweeted. 

The keel laying ceremony of the first MILGEM class Corvette for PN was held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard Turkey earlier this month. The contract for four corvettes for Pakistan Navy with transfer of technology was signed with ASFAT Turkish State-owned defence firm in Islamabad. 

The contract entails construction of two ships will be built in Turkey while the remaining two will be developed at the KS&EW with transfer of technology.