Sindh committee examines plasma therapy aspects

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

A Sindh Health department committee constituted to examine the experimental use of plasma therapy in the case of COVID-19 patients in the province in future met, with provincial health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho in chair, on April 15.

A source privy to the meeting said that it has been decided to set a relevant set of protocols, along with recommendations of the committee, which will be submitted to the Sindh Corona Task Force for consideration. 

Upon the approval of protocols by the task force, headed by the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, the scientists will be allowed to carry out any experimental use of COVID-19 convalescent plasmas for the passive of immunization in the province and country, added the source, informing that the experiments may be carried out at the National Institute of Blood Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences Hospital and the Aga Khan University Hospital. 

The meeting was told that the National Bioethics Committee Pakistan has cleared the plasma therapy project in question for a period of one year, while the Drug Regulatory of Pakistan in order to protect the coronavirus patients has approved the clinical trial with the title “Experimental use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma for the purpose of passive immunization in current Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.” 

The health department’s committee, which was supposed to study and evaluate the practicality of the process in view of local circumstances, will meet again soon. The department has co-opted a couple of more experts in the committee, it was learnt. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho said that the experimental clinical trial will reveal the benefits and adverse impacts to the world. 

She expressed the hope that scientists will get plasma from the cured coronavirus patients in adequate quantity in the shortest possible time and use that to save the lives of an optimum number of patients. 

She also called for providing guidance to the heads, focal persons of the government designated centre for corona diseases treatment and physicians who treat the corona infection diseases. “They should be informed of passive immunization procedure and guided about the correct use of the therapy duly.”

Swift screening planned in interior Sindh

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Amidst apprehensions that authorities have stopped conducting coronavirus tests among population in the interior districts, the Sindh health department, on April 13, announced a two-prong action plan to check people belonging to tableeghi jamat in various districts of Sindh.

The Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho in a statement said that health department has started a process from April 13 to screen around 1,950 people from tableeghi jamat located in 12 districts. 

The screening, as per the given protocols, will be completed in a week time, she added, saying that majority of tableeghi jamat members were elderly and vulnerable to the virus and they must be saved from the corona disease. 

As per the plan as many as 241 people will be screened at Hyderabad, while another 248 at Tando Allahyar, 128 at Umerkot, 307 at Nawabshah and 66 at Jamshoro in the first phase. 

An information officer of the government said that the initial examination and screening will determine that who should be tested against the virus. 

Earlier, the screen exercise was done in the case of tableeghi jamat members at Hyderabad, which yielded 91 corona infected cases, the officer added, saying the results of tests at Hyderabad has led the health department to ensure screening of other members of tableeghi jamat, which will help contain the coronavirus infections and give due treatment to the infected people in the interior of Sindh. 

According to him, the next round of screening will be carried out on 105 tableeghi jamat members in Tando Muhammad Khan, 222 in Dadu, 44 in Matiari, 231 in Naushero Feroz, 242 in Thatta, 105 in Badin, 128 in Umerkot. 

Earlier some observers had been airing concerns that the health authorities were focusing largely on Karachi, while interior districts were being ignored, despite the possibility of spread of the virus through the not-reached pilgrims and tableeghi members. It was also stressed that government should enhance its testing facilities in other parts of the province. 

In the meantime, the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) has screened about 5,030 patients at its Coronavirus Clinic started on March 18. Of the 615 tested 154 were found positive for coronavirus, while 250 negative. The results of the remaining tests are awaited, an official of the institute disclosed on April 13.

Hospitals advised to operate OPDS

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, has asked the all government hospitals to reopen their outpatient departments (OPDs). 

On April 8, she was chairing a video conference, attended by the medical superintendents (MS) of the hospitals and vice-chancellors of medical universities in Sindh. 

She advised that the hospitals, unable to operate their OPDs, may attend to patients through telemedicine. 

In the meantime, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) complaining about inadequate supply of protective gears in the case of healthcare has noted that such items were being misused. 

In a statement, the doctors’ body said that these days politicians and bureaucrats are often seen wearing N-95 facemasks during their meetings and visits, whereas health professionals are facing dire shortage of N-95 mask and personal protection equipment. 

“This is important to note that N-95 mask is not necessary for everybody. This is only needed in the quarantine and isolation facilities for the health providers treating coronavirus patients, who are at the highest risk of acquiring coronavirus,” the PMA official added.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh reports first death outside Karachi

By Mukhtar Alam 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Health department on April 2 confirmed 52 new Coronavirus cases, taking the provincial tally of infected persons to 761, with 11 deaths including the first one outside Karachi, while overall the country’s figure stood at 2,386 with 34 deaths. 

The provincial health minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, informed that the 10th person losing his life due Coronavirus (Covid-19) was a resident of Tando Mohammad Khan, who was brought for treatment to a hospital in Hyderabad. 

The deceased, aged 65 years, was admitted to the hospital on March 28, the minister added, saying the man was member of a tableeghi jamat and was tested positive for coronavirus at the hospital. 

The 11th corona related death was of an 86-year-old man from Karachi who passed away within 24 hours of his admission at the hospital.

According to the Sindh health department, Coronavirus infected cases reported from Karachi division and other six districts of the province, out of which 416 were local transmission cases, while the remaining infections were detected in passengers who returned from various countries and pilgrims returning from Iran. 

The Sindh data updated at 6.15 pm showed 336 cases in Karachi, 273 in Sukkur, 137 in Hyderabad, seven in Larkana, six in Shaheed Benazirabad and one each at Dadu and Jacobabad.

1,200-bed field isolation facility inaugurated at Karachi Expo Centre

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Volunteers and medical staff performed the inauguration of a 1,200-bed field isolation facility at the Karachi Expo Centre in the presence of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and Corps Commander Karachi, Lt-General Humayun Aziz, on April 2. 

While reviewing the arrangements at the emergently established corona treatment facility, the Governor also announced a provision of 5,000 sets of personal protective gears for the isolation centre. 

It was announced that the centre will remain functional until the Coronavirus pandemic was completely eradicated. 

Dr Azra Pechuho said that the Sindh government would provide all possible support to keep the isolation facility operational. The new facility is meant for patients who will be confirmed of having contracted the Coronavirus. 

In addition to general isolation wards, the facility has an intensive care unit as well, said an official communication.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh reports ninth death

By Mukhtar Alam 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, confirmed another death due to Coronavirus infection on April 1, disclosing that the 59-year-old-patient was a resident of Karachi, having been brought to the hospital on March 19 upon his return from Saudi Arabia. 

The patient had tested positive for corona the same day and was given the ventilator aid from his first day of admission at the hospital. The patient was also stated to have a history of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. 

On the other hand, the health authorities providing the daily Corona updates said that in all 33 new cases of corona infection were detected in Karachi on April 1 which brought the tally of Coronavirus patients to 709 in the province, out of which 55 have recovered their health. 

The total number of corona tests conducted in Sindh since February 26 was recorded as 6,948 as such the infection rate came as 10.20%.

Coronavirus update: 31 new cases confirmed in Hyderabad

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh health authorities, late on March 30, confirmed new Coronavirus infections in 31 members of a tableegi jamat in Hyderabad, which took the overall tally of the infection in Sindh to 526, with six relevant deaths since February 26 when the first patient of COVID-19 was detected in the province.

According to the earlier reports, about 250 people including foreign nationals were staying in a mosque in Hyderabad, which was later declared a corona quarantine place as one of the foreign nationals tested positive for corona. 

Earlier, about 20 of the people staying in the mosque were shifted to another quarantine centre established in Latifabad. 

According to official data updated at 2245 PST, with the latest detection of positive cases, the total number of corona infected people in Hyderabad reached to 43. Karachi and Jacobabad reported 27 and one new case, respectively, on March 30. 

According to the government data, 265 of the pilgrims from Iran in Sukkur have so far been found infected with the virus. Similarly, seven pilgrims from Iran were found corona positive in Larkana. 

“Of the 294 positive cases reported from Karachi, Dadu, Hyderabad and Jacobabad, 236 acquired the infection locally, while the remaining were believed to having acquired the diseases during their foreign visits,” an official disclosed.

Earlier, during the day the Sindh health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed the last of the six corona related deaths in Sindh, a woman of 63. 

She, in a statement, said that the deceased woman was a resident of Karachi, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 two days back. 

“The patient, who returned from Saudi Arabia about 10 days back, had a history of acute respiratory distress syndrome,” she added, saying the death brought the total number of deaths in Sindh to six. 

Pakistan has so far reported 1,171 corona positive cases. 

According to Health Minister of Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid, her province had so far tested 14,570 people, out of which 642 (4.40 %) were found corona positive, with 9 deaths. 

She told a TV channel that her province has decided to intensify the testing activity and soon will be able to test samples from 3,000 people for corona infection every day. 

In the meantime, Sindh minister for Anti-Corruption and Industries & Commerce and Cooperative Department, Jam Ikramuallah Dharejo, has said that the Sindh government has not yet decided to impose curfew in the wake of Coronavirus crisis. 

Urging the people to stay at their homes, however, he said that if the people did not follow the lockdown policy, the government will have no other option but to make a compulsory curfew decision.

In his interaction with media persons in his office on March 30, the minister said that no case Corona virus had been reported in Ghotki district till now. 

He further said that the government was going to provide ration to the daily earners soon. 

In a statement, Sindh Minister for Information, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, has said that the government could not control the spread of the Corona virus without the cooperation of the people. 

He said that the government was considering various options to provide ration and cash to people belonging to the working class, especially the daily wagers, and various possible measures were in the final stages of implementation.

“In this regard, the Sindh government is also launching a mobile registration system, through which all needy people would be registered first and then after verification the cash would be transferred to them through mobile cash transfer service,” he added.