Coronavirus Update: Laboratories in Karachi detecting higher positive cases than interior Sindh

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Though the daily number of COVID-19 new infection cases has been on rise in the interior districts of Sindh in recent days the test results given by various laboratories located there showed their daily infection rate almost 66% less than what Karachi laboratories were witnessing on June 20 when the health authorities confirmed detection of another 2,190 new cases across the province, including 592 from the interior districts, with related 35 new deaths, taking the overall tally of patients succumbing to the virus to 1,048. 

According to official data, five laboratories located in Larkana, Sukkur and Hyderabad, which had a maximum capacity of testing 3,700 samples, conducted 3,116 COVID-19 tests during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on June 20, out of which 443 (14%) were declared positive for the virus, against 33% positive results given by laboratories working at Karachi. 

The preceding day, the interior districts laboratories tested 3,622 samples, out of which 421 (11.52%) were positive, against 35% positive results given at Karachi. 

Keen observers assessed a couple reasons behind the phenomenal differences among tests conducted at Karachi and in the interior districts. 

They reckoned that either samples presented to the interior’s laboratories were being drawn randomly, without following the tracing, tracking and sampling protocols, or by ignoring the suspected clusters and communities. 

May be, many of the samples drawn from interior regions of the province were being forwarded to the laboratories in Karachi, a source privy to the process reflected. 

Another observer opined that there still was a need to conduct robust sampling and testing in the interior districts to find the hidden cases. 

It was further learnt that Sindh had the maximum capacity of conducting 13,150 samples, followed by Punjab (9,910) and Islamabad Capital territory (7,682) besides other provinces and territories. 

According to the Sindh health department’s daily summary, the district-wise breakdown of new cases on June 20 remained as: Karachi (1,598), Khairpur (123), Hyderabad (112), Ghotki (79), Sukkur (76), Mirpurkhas (33), Larkana (32), Anushero Feroze (30), Dadu (27), Sanghar (16), Shaheed Benazirabad (12), Kashmore (11), Jamshoro (8), Badin (6), Umerkot (6), Sujawal (5), Tando Allahyar (5), Kambar Shahdadkot (3), Jacobabad (3), Thatta (2) and Matiari (1). 

In the meantime, COVID-19 deaths at hospitals continued unabatedly as Karachi registered deaths of yet another 31 patients during the last 24 hours ending on June 20, taking the megapolis death tally to 877, which was 84% of the provincial toll. 

Those who lost their lives in Karachi’s hospitals or at homes included 23 men and eight women. The deceased men were aged from 41 to 93 years while women were within the age brackets of 54 to 90 years. 

The remaining deaths of the day were reported from Thatta (one man), Kashmore (one man) and Kambar Shahdadkot (one man), while Larkana registered death of a women aged 82 years. The deceased persons belonging to Thatta, Kashmore and Kambar Shahdadkot were aged from 50 to 68 years. 

As per another official report, four of the persons who died on June 19 were off ventilators and lost their lives at homes while another two were not put on ventilators as their doctors did not advise for it. 

As at 10 am of June 20, as many as 78 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 750 high dependency unit (HDU) beds were unoccupied at the various Karachi COVID-19 hospitals. 

According to another official source, Sindh, which has at present 321 ICU beds with ventilator facility, may have it increased to 466 by the end of June and to 516 in July. Similarly, the existing 1,096 HDU beds at hospital may, as per the government plan, increase to 1,165 from 1,096 by the end of June and up to 1,375 in July.

Pakistan caught between fast spread of COVID-19 and incoherent lockdown

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

“COVID-19 has infected about nine million worldwide, with nearly half a million fatalities. Beijing has reported fresh outbreak and their leadership putting wartime measures to contain the spread by enforcing strict lockdown and testing. Europe is opening up after huge loss of life and prolonged lockdown.” 

This was observed by Senator Nisar Memon, a former federal minister, during an interview with PNFS on June 20. 

“Pakistan has moved to 14th position in worldometers with over 171,000 infections and more than 3,300 deaths. The government has put up alarms heralding the significant spread in coming weeks and Islamabad, the capital, is caught choosing between virus deaths versus poverty,” he pointed out. 

“People all over the world are awaiting the results of 135 vaccines which are believed to be in the process development to fight against the coronavirus but the citizens of Pakistan are caught between the fast spread of pandemic and incoherent lockdown within the country,” he regretted.

“It’s being hoped and prayed by the people of Pakistan that the leadership moves away from old political path of vengeance against the political adversaries, foreign begging bowls for oxygen to ailing economy, unrelenting discrimination against women, and undermining the parliament. The list is long with its long shadows on our future,” Senator Nisar Memon reckoned. 

“Whoever is perpetuating this is unacceptable and all those who are party to this are condemnable in the harshest of words. No justification stands to reason,” he asserted. 

Incoherent policy for handling pandemic, insufficient public health, education and services; foreign dependence for national budget, continued corruption and inefficiencies, according to him, were the major current national issues needed to be addressed. 

“The other week’s visit of Prime Minister to Sindh without showing necessary sympathy to kith and kin of medical and paramedics who succumbed to virus during supreme service; apathy to Karachi PIA crash and non-interaction with provincial Chief Executive has not helped create congenial environment to govern this sovereign nation,” he noted. 

“Nature has given us innumerable gifts. In last 70 years some good men and women have strengthened many institutions, we have youthful population, a strategic geopolitical advantage, strong standing army to defend frontiers and strategic weapons. Let’s build on it and not negate them,” Senator Nisar Memon reminded. 

“The past governments gave this country the mobile telecommunication and internet network which helped citizens to connect in lockdown isolation. We should now move to next stage where Information Technology infrastructure connects all the people and systems within the federation for needed services and economic development,” he suggested. 

The former federal minister emphasized that the institutions must strengthen themselves to fight disasters like COVID-19, locust swarms, food security, upcoming dengue spread, and any possible adventure on our frontiers and on line of control. 

“This can be achieved by protecting the Constitution without opening the settled issues. Power can be retained by good governance and conflict management, and not by conflict creation and crisis development,” he remarked. 

“Judiciary, parliament, media, and civil services must do self-accountability, like the armed forces. If current laws are inadequate they should request parliament for new laws to make them strong to defend Pakistan. We have various TV channels: news, entertainment, religion, sport but none for parliament,” he highlighted. “

One of the reasons why China is able to effectively address issues faced by its citizens is because their President has the grassroots political experience before presiding over the destiny of 1.4 billion,” the former federal minister opined, adding that the people of Pakistan could only pray and appeal to those in power and urge all institutions to protect themselves to save the federation and its constitution.