President Arif Alvi lauds China for fighting coronavirus successfully

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan’s President Dr Arif Alvi has lauded China for successfully controlling coronavirus and commended both the countries for their cooperation to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. 

He expressed these views when a group of Chinese medical experts called on him at the President House in Islamabad on April 9. 

According to the details shared by the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, Ambassador Yao Jing and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood were also present on the occasion. 

The President remarked that since the outbreak of the New Coronary Pneumonia, China and Pakistan have been helping and supporting each other besides working together to respond jointly.

"During mid-March, I visited China where I had fruitful meetings and talks with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders,” he recalled. 

China has successfully brought down the epidemic in little over two months. 

It was also reported to have notified the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries when the epidemic started, which allowed time to the rest of the world for preemptive measures. 

China has been assisting Pakistan with a large amount of anti-epidemic materials, having also sent a medical team to Pakistan to help and guide the anti-epidemic work, which fully reflected China's all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and the profound and tested friendship. 

It is being believed that with the help of China, Pakistan will eventually overcome the epidemic without too much damage. 

Ma Minghui, the leader of the expert group, said that in accordance with the spirit of President Xi Jinping ’s important instructions and the consensus of the leaders of the two countries, the Xinjiang Autonomous Region established a medical expert group for Pakistan. 

The experts from China and Pakistan exchanged their experience in epidemic prevention. In the past 10 days, the expert group visited Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and other places, inspected dozens of hospitals in the federal and local areas, and conducted face-to-face meetings with many experts from Pakistan, beside holding a video conference. 

Through the inspections and interactions, the Chinese expert team had a deeper understanding of the Pakistani epidemic prevention work and made some targeted suggestions.

Coronavirus peak yet to come: expert

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Prof Dr Abdul Bari Khan, CEO of the Indus Hospital and a member of Sindh CM Task force on coronavirus, has opined that the outbreak’s peak was yet to be witnessed. 

The disturbing thing, he pointed out in a television interview, was that the corona infected patients were being brought to hospitals in severe health condition, adding that his hospital was treating eight while the Aga Khan Hospital (AKU) was treating four such patients. 

He further said that the provincial corona task force has also recommended acquisition of data from caretakers of graveyards across the city which may help know about unreported corona cases, if any, and assess the situation truly. 

On the other hand, Adviser to Prime Minister Dr Zafar Mirza said that the coming two or three weeks could be very crucial in the context of coronavirus. The number of overall cases was reducing but there was a need to ensure more precautionary measures, he added.

KMC sets up filter clinic in Landhi

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Karachi’s Mayor Wasim Akhtar inaugurated a 24/7 filter clinic for suspected patients of coronavirus and other facilities to treat the positive cases at the Cardiac Emergency Centre in Landhi-2 on April 8.

He took a round of isolation ward, disclosing that 12 doctors and 40 paramedics would be performing duties at the hospital. 

“This hospital would cater the need of hundreds of thousands of people of Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Ibrahim Haidery, Future Colony and adjacent areas,” he stated. 

He informed that the KMC was trying to establish more filter clinics so that the coronavirus could be diagnosed at early stages. 

The Karachi Mayor directed that SOP should be devised for the patients coming to filter clinics and the doctors should ensure their safety first. He also handed precautionary kits for doctors and paramedics to the hospital management. 

On the occasion, he disclosed that the hospital under administrative control of the KMC have a total 89 ventilators, out of which 69 were functional while the remaining 20 ventilators will be fixed and provided for patients soon.

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.

Pakistan, China armies hold video moot

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chinese and Pakistani armies had in-depth discussion, shared experiences and strategies how to combat, prevent and control the new coronary pneumonia. Both sides shared anti-epidemic experiences and vowed to work together to fight against the epidemic.

Around 20 personnel from the military health departments of China and Pakistan, including experts in clinical, detection, prevention and control related fields, held video sharing sessions on the prevention and control of new coronary pneumonia in Beijing, Wuhan and Rawalpindi. 

“To begin with, China first threw light on the overall situation and experience of the Chinese army’s epidemic prevention and control work, new coronary pneumonia detection technology methods, main points and diagnosis besides treatment plans”, the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad disclosed, quoting the sources from Defense Ministry. 

It further elaborated that the two sides subsequently focused on the exchange of emergency command coordination, epidemic prevention and control, monitoring and detection, clinical treatment and other topics.

Combined with case analysis, the strategies for treatment of critical patients and infection control were discussed in depth. 

The Pakistan side thanked China for sharing the epidemic prevention and treatment experience for the first time, highly appreciating the Chinese military’s proactive efforts to participate in epidemic prevention and control. 

They congratulated China on achieving important achievements in combating the new coronary pneumonia epidemic. 

They expressed greatly admiration for the Chinese people and their leadership for successfully controlling the virus and sharing their experiences. 

It was the first video conference to be organized by the Chinese military to share experience in the prevention and control of new coronary pneumonia outbreaks with foreign military. 

In the next step, the Chinese military will uphold the concept of serving to build a community of human destiny, strengthen international cooperation in the fight against epidemics with the military of other countries concerned, in order to work together to combat the epidemic situation, maintain international health security and to continue their innovative contributions in order to ensure building better human health as well as a health community.

KPT sprays disinfectant in more areas

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has continued its efforts of spraying of disinfectant in the different areas of Karachi in its efforts to control the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Having earlier sent trucks to spray the chlorinated water in and around the Keamari Road and Mehran Town in Korangi, the KPT arranged for similar action in a couple of more localities of the metropolis. 

A spokesman of the KPT informed PNFS on April 7 that a couple of fire tender trucks were used for the purpose of spraying chlorinated water in the areas of Shershah and Nazimabad to make them safe and free from virus.

Pressure mounts on government to relax lockdown despite rising COVID-19 cases

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The pressure has been mounting on the Government of Sindh for a review in the lockdown decision despite the continued rise in the number of cases being infected by coronavirus (COVID-19).

The medical experts are advising the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, for extension in the lockdown period but he was also looking up to the April 8 meeting of the National Coordination Committee, which had imposed restrictions as precautionary measures up to April 14. 

He has indicated that Sindh may take its own decision too after reviewing the disease situation and other relevant developments. 

During a meeting with the heads of private hospitals, he stated that their expertise and support was needed while the government was fighting against the corona epidemic in the province. He also urged them to ensure extra beds at their respective facility for coronavirus infected patients as government’s resources were limited. 

In his interaction with media during the day, he maintained that the government was making all efforts to increase the capacity for testing the corona suspected cases across the province. 

Meanwhile there have concerns in recent days that the long prevailing lockdown in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, has taken a toll on small traders and livelihood of daily wagers. 

The small and medium enterprises as well as the industries have requested the government to ease the lockdown situation in Karachi and the Chief Minister too has hinted that some standard operating procedures (SOPs) for industries and businesses were being devised for the post lockdown era. 

Various associations of trade and industry, among others, wanted the government to allow partial operations of all the industrial units in the city, while different market association, including those of mobile marketers, restaurants and bakers, also demanded opening of markets while promising to observe precautionary measures while dealing the customers. 

At a press conference on April 7, Sharjeel Goplani, speaking on behalf of timber traders, said that the coronavirus outbreak has caused enormous financial losses to the traders. 

“The Sindh government should provide loans on easy terms to timber traders and allow them to reopen their business as they are ready to comply with the governments’ health safety measures and corona related actions” the timber dealers stressed.

Chinese doctors suggest extended lockdown

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

A delegation of Chinese doctors and paramedical professionals, during its meeting with the Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, suggested that the government should extend the duration of the ongoing lockdown to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19). 

The visiting Chinese delegation reminded that it was the lockdown of over eight weeks in some parts of their country which had helped in getting the desired results against coronavirus, saying Sindh also needed to increase its capacity for testing. 

The delegation also agreed to train doctors and health professionals treating Covid-19 patients in Sindh, according to a health department communication.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh confirms 54 new cases

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Health department, on April 7, confirmed new coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in another 54 people in Karachi, Tando Mohammmad Khan, Hyderabad and Shaheed Benazirabad. 

According to the latest data released by the provincial health department, the detection of new coronavirus patients took the tally of overall infected people in the province to 986, with 18 deaths, against a national total of 4,005, with 54 deaths. 

The overall rate of coronavirus infection in Sindh came as 9.63%. The health providers collectively tested 10,233 people, including expatriates and pilgrims and those contracted the virus locally since February 26. 

The overall district wise tally of positive corona patients in Sindh on April 7 was Karachi (508), Sukkur (274), Hyderabad (159), Larkana (13), Tando Muhammad Khan (12), Shaheed Benazirabad (7), Naushehro Feroze (4), Ghotki (2), Jamshoro (2), Dadu (1), Badin (1), Sujawal (1), Sanghar (1) and Jacoababad (1).

Naeem Qureshi appointed FPCCI environment convener

Pakistan News & Features Services

The President of National Forum for Environment and Health, (NFEH), Naeem Qureshi, has been appointed as the Convener of the Central Standing Committee of FPCCI on Environment for the year 2020. 

According to a notification, the appointment was made by Mian Anjum Nisar, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), in recognition of the services of Naeem Qureshi to further the cause of environmental protection in the country. 

The committee will make recommendations to get maximum input of the fraternities of industrialists and businessmen for improving environmental situation in the country. 

The committee will comprise of environmental experts, researchers, scientists and practitioners from all over the country to get their input on environmental issues of Pakistan. 

Naeem Qureshi also happens to be the Chairman of the CSR Club Pakistan and a trustee of thee Helpline Trust.