Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s infection tally surges to 30,000

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

At a time when the government was allowing more and more relaxations in the COVID-19 lockdown, Sindh’s average daily rate of new coronavirus infection jumped to 25.17% for the preceding week on June 2 when its overall infection tally surpassed 30,000 after registration of another 1,439 cases, an all days’ highest, with 23 related fatalities. 

A study of the official COVID-19 data of Sindh revealed that the number of new infection rate decreased by four per cent in comparison to the preceding day but was still higher than what was being observed before Eid vacations. Sindh on May 27 witnessed a record daily increase in its COVID-19 positivity rates at 32.10%. 

The province’s coronavirus positivity rate on May 21 was at 15.99%, which rose to 23.85 on May 24 and 24.62% on May 26. The number of cases decreased to 22% on May 31 when 885 suspected cases, out of 4,100 samples, tested positive for the virus.

According to an official report, as many as 16 COVID-testing laboratories, operating in the public and private sectors, conducted across the province as many as 5,454 tests during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on June 2, out of which 1,500 (27.5%) were found positive. 

Among the laboratories, JPMC performed four tests and detected all (100%) positive while Indus Hospital centre tested 1,285 samples and found 36% of them positive. Other centres which conducted tests included SIUT (69%), DUHS (50%), Hashmanis (38%), AKUH (36%), CHK (36%), Gambat Institute of Medical Science (35%), Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (15%), and others. 

According to a health department summary, a total of 1,149 infections were found at Karachi, followed by Larkana (50), Hyderbaad (47), Sukkur (40), Khairpur (33), Ghotki (27), Shaheed Benazirabad (17), Badin (16), Sanghar (13), Jamshoro (10), Kambar Shadadkot (6), Shikarpur (6), Sujawal (5), Dadu (3), Jacobabad (3), Thatta (2), Kashmore (2), Tando Mohammad Khan (1), Matiari (1) and Umrkot (1). Among the interior districts, Larkana led the list with a cumulative 1,002 cases followed by Hyderabad (977), Larkana (770), Khairpur (703), Ghotki (635) and other districts.

As many as 23 new deaths of COVID-19 were confirmed by the health department on June 2. Karachi reported 17 deaths, 12 men of ages ranging from 42 to 95 years, and five women in the age brackets of 42 to 75 years, while Sanghar, Dadu, Shikarpur, Larkana, Sujawal and Hyderabad reported one death each of men, aged from 40 to 67 years. 

According to an official source, as many as 446 COVID-19 patients have lost their lives in public and private hospitals, including AKUH (54) CHK (44), Indus Hospital (45), JPMC (64), DUHS Hospital (67), SIUT (59), Ziauddin (29), PNS Shifa (14), LUMHS Hyderabad (12), GIMS Khairpur (7), GMMMC Sukkur (5), Lyari General Hospital (9), NICVD Karachi (4), OMI Hospital (3), Patel Hospital (3), South City Hospital (4), SMBB Trauma Centre Karachi (4) and others. 

In his routine statement, the Sindh Chief Minisiter, Syed Murad Ali Shah, remarked that 953 more patients have recovered from the diseases, while 358 out of 1,098 hospitalized patients were in critical condition. 

He urged the people not to take unnecessary advantage of the relaxations allowed in the lockdown and follow the standard operating procedures for their health safety. 

A source disclosed that only one out of 367 prisoners found positive for coronavirus at the Central Prison Karachi has recovered from the disease so far. 

Another source revealed that in all 12 ICU beds in four hospitals, 28 HDU beds at four hospitals and 168 isolations beds at five hospitals were in use as on June 2 morning. 

In the meantime, a national position paper has highlighted the potential reasons for risk in critical patients. As per the report, the reasons included the overall rise in number of daily detected cases and new hospital admissions; shifting to policy of admission of moderate to severe patients only; delayed arrival of patients getting critical at homes; differential implementation of the clinical management SOPs; and changing risk perceptions of patients as well as doctors due to increased deaths and media coverage.

China set to launch of Mars probe in July

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

 After successful handling of COVID-19, China is back to normal business as it plans to launch first Mars probe between July and August, aiming to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission, an expert said in a recent interview with the state broadcaster CCTV in Beijing.

After the launch via China's largest carrier rocket Long March-5, the probe is expected to reach within the gravitational field of Mars next February and it will be captured into orbit around the planet, Bao Weimin, an academic with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, informed. 

He is also the director of the Committee of Science and Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.  

According to Bao, China's Mars probe consists of an orbiter as well as a lander and a rover. The lander and rover will make a soft landing on the surface. 

The Mars rover, which is expected to work on Mars for at least 90 Mars days (more than three months on Earth), will carry out patrol exploration and research on geomorphic landforms of Mars. 

A safe landing on Mars is the most difficult and risky part of the mission, and the lander carrying the rover will be slowed down through four steps, Bao noted. 

The first step, which will last for about 290 seconds, is akin to breaking, slowing down its speed from 4.8 km per second to 460 meters per second. Next, a parachute will be opened and it will take about 90 seconds to lower the speed from 460 meters per second to 95 meters per second. A reverse thrust engine will then be ignited, decelerating the speed to 3.6 meters per second in about 80 seconds. 

After the first three steps, the lander carrying the rover will be about 100 meters above the Mars surface. Hovering in the air, it can observe the surface, adjust its position and select a safe spot to land in an obstacle-avoiding mode. The whole landing process will take about seven to eight minutes, Bao revealed. 

Last November, China had successfully mounted an experiment simulating the process of a probe hovering, avoiding obstacles and descending to land on Mars. 

In April, China announced that its first Mars exploration mission was named Tianwen-1. The name comes from the long poem ‘Tianwen’ meaning Questions to Heaven, written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the greatest poets of ancient China.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s onslaught continues with record single-day infections

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh’s COVID-19 cases onslaught continued unabated as the authorities confirmed detection of 1,402 new cases in 6,289 samples on June 1, with 22 fatalities, pushing the tally of infections to 29,647 and deaths to 503. 

According to data, Sindh reported its all days’ highest new infections since the outbreak of the diseases on February 26 in the province, against previous provincial one-day highest of 1,247 new infections reported on May 30. 

The number of laboratory tests for COVID-19 conducted in Sindh increased by 2,189 (53%) in comparison to May 31. 

Sindh’s one day rate of positive infection came as 22%, against the country’s 20.58%, while the overall positivity rate remained 15.84% against 12.91% of the country. A gender-wise calculation showed the ratio of female patients in Sindh’s overall infections as 28.1%. 

The breakdown of 22 male and female patients, along with ages and hospital names, who expired during the last 24 hours, ending at 9 am on June 1 were not released by the provincial health department or the Sindh’s Chief Minister who continued to issue his statement on COVID-19 on a regular basis. 

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, in his latest statement, revealed that 342 out of 1,095 admitted patients at hospitals were in critical condition across the province. 

As many as 71 COVID-19 patients were hooked to ventilators while the tally of those having been cured and recovered from the diseases increased to 14,590, with the release of another 785 patients during the last 24 hours. 

The new infections were confirmed at Karachi (1,028), Sukkur (46), Ghotki (46), Larkana (38), Hyderabad (25), Mirpurkhas (21), Shikarpur (20) Jacobabad (12), Khairpur (8), Jamshoro (8), Badin (4), Sujawal (4), Naushero Ferroze (2), Thatta (2) while Umerkot, Shaheed Benazirabad and Kashnore reported one case each. 

In the meantime, a source revealed that at least 17 patients died at eight public and private hospitals during the last 24 hours. 

By June 1, as many as 409 patients lost their lives in 27 private and public hospitals across the province, including JPMC (63 deaths), DUHS (62), SIUT (54), AKUH (44), CHK (40), Indus Hospital (43), Ziauddin Hospital (26), PNS Shifa (14), LUMHS Hyderabad (12) and others. 

According to another source, after a few days of crisis, the position related to utilization of beds in the intensive care units at 11 hospitals handling COVID-19 patients at Karachi has changed now.

As many as 22 ICU beds were reported vacant at five hospitals while another 23 beds in the high dependency units were vacant at four hospitals, in addition to 158 were vacant in isolation wards of four hospitals. 

Meanwhile, Dr Palitha Mahipala, Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Pakistan, met with the Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, and the Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, on June 1. 

During the meeting the WHO official highlighted the importance of increasing the laboratory testing, active case finding and testing all severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza like illness (ILI) cases, improving case management and slowing down community transmission by placing mild and moderate cases in isolation facilities, according to the official communication. 

The Chief Minister urged the WHO representative to ensure some training programme for the doctors, paramedical staff and nurses dealing the COVID-19 cases. Dr Sara Khan of the WHO was also present on the occasion.

Noted scholar Dr Asif Farrukhi is no more

By Zaib Azkaar Hussain
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Dr Asif Aslam Farrukhi, who passed away in Karachi on June 1, had been rushed to a local hospital just a day earlier where he could not survive a cardiac arrest. 

He was indeed a visionary writer, critic, translator, columnist and scholar, credited to have set new trends in the promotion of art and literature. 

He translated a number of books from English language to Urdu. In recognition to his literary services he was awarded 'Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ by the President of Pakistan in 2005. 

Dr Asif Farrukhi edited several magazines. Particularly his Urdu magazine titled 'Shehrzaad' gained ground among literary circles to a great deal. 

He had attained education first from the famous Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi and later studied medicine at Dow Medical College, Karachi, before studying public health at Harvard University in the United States. 

His professor and writer father Aslam Farrukhi, who himself was author of several books, and family background led him to contribute to literature in Pakistan. 

Dr Asif Farrukhi was the co-founder of the Karachi Literature Festival which is being held every year for the past one decade. It's the platform where the writers of different countries and languages do gather and discuss the issues of writings and writers. 

He was known to having played a dynamic role in promoting and backing young writers either by assisting them in publication of their books or introducing them at the literary gatherings and writing on their works. He was equally keen in promoting senior writers and artists and junior ones. 

He also wrote for English newspapers and periodicals. Once he played a proactive role at the Goethe Institute and organized literary sittings. 

He was a senior member of the Halqa-e-Arbaabe Zauq (HAZ) Karachi and presented several papers on literature during its various gatherings.

As a senior member of the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, he had been playing a pivotal role in holding the International Urdu Conference along with its President, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, and other members of governing body.

First-ever ship loaded with Afghan Transit trade goods anchored at Gwadar port

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

With the arrival of the first bulk-cargo ship, carrying Afghan Transit trade goods, brought joy among all segments of population particularly the business community of Gwadar as well as bring overall prosperity in Balochistan province.

‘MV Manet’ carried wheat and urea for Afghan Transit trade and it was anchored at the Gwadar port this week. This marked the beginning of a new era in Pakistan’s trade by sea which will certainly boost economy, development and regional connectivity. 

While on the other hand it is considered a giant step to get maximum benefits from the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of BRI.  

Pakistan’s decision to allow Afghan traders to import goods via Gwadar port will boost bilateral trade and transit ties between the two countries, the Gwadar Prowebsite quoted Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, Atif Mashal, as saying. 

Asim Saleem Bajwa, Special Assistant to Prime Minister, said that with the arrival of MV Manet, carrying wheat and urea of Afghan Transit trade at Gwadar port, a dream has come true for local economy as it will stimulate host of business activities.

Pakistan’s Commerce ministry has announced that is operationalized the Gwadar Port for Afghan Transit trade, marking a first in sea trade between the two countries. 

The trade business has commenced under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement-2010 (APTTA), authorities at the ministry communicated. 

“Gwadar Port is changing with the operation of Chinese companies, and we look forward to more prosperity” a Chinese blogger wrote on Twitter. 

An expert on CPEC told PNFS that the initiative of operationalizing the Gwadar port was the Chinese model to carry out socio-economic development across the country.

On one hand fully operationalization of the Gwadar Port will provide job opportunities particularly to locals on the other it will help in promoting all kind of businesses including hotel industry, transportation and tourism. 

This diversion will also help easing congestion on two ports in Karachi, besides reducing pressure on civic services which are already at saturating stage like water, electricity, gas, housing as well as poor road infrastructures. 

The promotion of regional connectivity, the dream of Chinese President Xi Jinping is turning into reality across the world, as according to Global Times, the English version of mass circulated Peoples Daily, the China-Europe freight trains delivered 16,000 containers from Yiwu, Zhejiang province in past five months, transporting urgent materials among the pandemic. 

It stabilized global supply chains and helped European countries in preventing and controlling the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Coronavirus Update: Sindh inching to 500 deaths

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Amidst concerns that the government has been unable to get desired results from the healthcare providers in the contest of COVID-19 wave, the provincial authorities on May 31 confirmed 16 more related deaths, with 885 new cases of the infection, bringing the overall tally of fatalities to 481 and positive cases to 28,245 for Sindh. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a statement, said that another 553 patients have recovered from the coronavirus disease, while 13,954 were receiving treatment either at homes and isolation centres, in addition to 1,073 at different government or privately run hospitals across the province, which constituted only eight per cent of the active COVID-19 patients in the province.

After giving a district-wise breakdown of new cases, he said that the preventive measures on part of people were the only answer to the pandemic. 

“Now the cases are on increase in the rural areas as well, which is result of carelessness including non-observance of the social distancing not discouraging the social gathering,” he regretted. 

The chief minster gave an account of month to month increases in the COVID-19 fatalities since March 19 when the first patient died at Karachi. He expressed his sorrow over the demise of patients but he did not go beyond the numbers. 

On the other hand, routine COVID-19 summary was also not available to the media on May 31 and as such even the places of residence and hospitalizations of the patients also could not authentically be known. There was no feedback on the subject from the department despite reminders, which seemed to confirm the perception that department was in a state of panic and covering up for the failures.

However, some other official sources revealed that almost all the patients, except one of Sukkur, lost their lives at six or so public and private hospitals of Karachi during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on May 31. 

So far, 393 patients have lost their lives in 27 private and public hospitals across the province, including AKUH (44 deaths), CHK (37), Indus Hospital (43), JPMC (59), LUMHS Hyderabad (12), DUHS (59), SIUT (55), Ziauddin Hospital (23, PNS Shifa (14) and others, while the remaining 88 patients died in home-isolation or on their way to hospitals. 

It was further learnt that 62 COVID-19 patients were using ventilators, while another 101 such patients were off ventilators at different hospitals across the province. 

A source revealed that 10 of the patients died off ventilators on May 29, six of them perished at home, two were not clinically advised by doctors, while the other two died due to sudden collapse/cardio-pulmonary arrest. 

As of May 29, a study made with reference of frequency of age of confirmed-19 cases suggested that the disease was highest (11,692) in people living in the age brackets of 20-40 years, which speaks a volume about the restrictions enforced by the government. 

When contacted, a senior teacher associated with a public university, briefly commented on the COVID-19 activities in Sindh, requesting not to mention his name, and said that situation was getting worse day by day. 

“There seems to be very little strategic planning except what we could see during the early days by Sindh government,” he continued saying they were leaving the critical or otherwise patients just at the mercy of hospitals, which needed to be addressed. 

According to reports, 4,100 samples were tested during the last 24 hours, taking the Sindh’s tally of tests to 180,823. The new infections were reported from Karachi (617), Hyderabad (25), Larkana (24), Jacobabad (24), Shikarpur (16), Jamshoro (8), Sanghar (8), Mirpurkhas (5), Kambar Shahdadkot (3), Shaheed Benazirabad (2), Matiari (1), Dadu (1), Tando Allahyar (1) and Tando Mohammad Khan (1).

London mayor calls for continued free travel for Under-18s

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has urged the government to allow Under-18s to continue to get free travel after demands for its withdrawal were made part of £ 1.6 billion lockdown bailout conditions. The children are currently entitled to Oyster cards allowed free or cut price travel, depending on their age.

The mayor has reckoned that stopping it under the social-distancing guidelines on overcrowding would hit the poorest hardest, according to a BBC report. 

The government had indicated that it was working with transport authorities to reduce demand. The Transport for London previously announced that free travel for children would temporary end under conditions of the government's continuing £ 1.6 billion deal. 

In exchange for the emergency funding, transport bosses also agreed to start collecting fares again on buses, restore a full tube service as soon as possible, and temporarily suspend free travel for over-60s during morning peak hours. The congestion charge was also brought back earlier this month and it will be subject to a rise in cost, from June 22.

In a letter to the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, the mayor of London observed that while he agreed with the need to reduce the numbers of children using bus services in particular but felt suspending free travel was not the right thing to do. 

"It is abundantly clear that losing free travel would hit the poorest Londoners hardest at a time when finances are stretched more than ever," he wrote. 

The transport department has also calculated that about 30% of children who currently travel by bus to school would still be eligible statutorily for free travel, according to the mayor. 

He added that the significant cost of this would fall on local boroughs while also undermining the effectiveness of introducing bus fares for children as a way of reducing bus usage.

Veteran educationist passes away

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Anwar Ahmed Zai, having worked for a long time in the education sector, passed away in Karachi on May 31. He was buried later in the afternoon. 

According to the family sources, he had been admitted at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) for the last couple of weeks where he suffered a fatal heart attack on the morning of May 31. 

He headed the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi, besides the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi, and Board of Matriculation and Intermediate Education, Mirpurkhas. 

He also held the positions of the Director of School Education, Karachi, Executive District Officer, City District Government, Karachi, and Additional Secretary, Education, Government of Sindh. 

Upon retirement from the government service, he was associated with the Ziauddin Education Board, Karachi, as its Executive Director.

Ramazan, Eid with a difference

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

“This Ramazan, majority of Muslims around the world while observing Rozas (fasting) offered Taraweeh (late night prayers) quietly in their homes, except a few, who defied government instructions and advices of religious leaders and prayed in mosques. It was against the common sense behavior of protecting themselves, their families and other citizens from the risk of deadly COVID-19,” Senator Nisar Memon, a former federal minister, observed in his latest newspaper article.

“Such a response evokes no surprise because we have neither provided basic education nor proper religious education to our compatriots. Else they would have shielded themselves from pandemic despite Islamabad’s confusing and conflicting response and lack of uniform support to provinces on this pandemic,” he felt. 

“In the spirit of Ramazan the leadership of Ummah, apart from the Fund they committed, did not announce any policy to make us proud Ummatis. The Muslim leadership did not demonstrate their numerical strength but instead succumbed to the worldly gains and protected their own power rather than their people and other Ummatis without realizing that these worldly gains are too meager compared to the wrath of Allah on the Judgement Day and possible denunciation by citizens when they rise,” the former federal minister opined. 

“But what is puzzling is their inability to prepare a Universal Plan for future to fight hunger and disease (now COVID-19 too) which has struck people of Sahara’s in Africa, mountains of Himalayas and plains in Asia. True to their teachings, the Ummatis did not wait for leadership and have massively contributed Zakat and Khairat amongst Ummatis to fulfill their religious obligations as well as national responsibility,” he remarked. 

“It was the month when the Muslims rededicated themselves to their Creator and sought guidance provided in Quran. It was a rebooting to be able to meet the challenges that lie ahead including the pandemic and in doing so serve fellow citizens and earn His favour for coming days and ultimately for the eternal life,” the Senator added.

“Allah says in the Quran, in Surah Al-Baqarah (2-183): ‘O you who believe, Siyam (fasting) is prescribed on you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you may become self-restrained.’ The importance of Siyam in Ramadan is clearly expressed in several sayings of the Prophet (SAW). All Muslims, particularly the leadership, need to do soul searching on their conduct during the month of Ramazan and seek pardon,” he wrote. 

“Eid at the end of holy month of Ramazan is expression of gratitude to the Creator that it gave us the chance to practice His teachings and a festive occasion amongst friends and family. Festivity of Eid this year is somber affair due to sufferings of millions and departure of thousands from this world due to pandemic,” he concluded.

Coronavirus Update: Karachi besieged with record single-day deaths, infection

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Karachi, the largest hub of coronavirus cases in the country, on May 30 reported its all days’ highest number of new infections and relevant deaths as 1,043 and 35, respectively, taking the Sindh’s tally of infections to 1,247 and deaths to 38 for the day. Previously the megapolis had registered its maximum daily new infections (872) on May 20 and daily deaths (30) on May 29. The tally of infections in Karachi has reached to a staggering 21,879.

In the meantime, despite the demise of 65 COVID-19 patients on May 29 and 30, the situation related to intensive care unit beds at 12 hospitals of Karachi did not changed considerably. There were 51 patients on ventilators with another 79 off vents while nine beds were vacant on May 30.

A keen observer said that largely the patients were being kept on ICU beds equipped with ventilators, while they did not require the ventilators and as such, on the other hand, more deserving vent seeking patients were denied admissions on the pretext that ICU beds were already occupied. 

It was suggested that the health authorities should ensure maximum and timely utilization of ventilators available in the ICU block or units of hospitals handling the COVID-19 infected patients. 

“They may have a separate block or section of ICU beds, without ventilators for those who do not need ventilators, so that more and more vent deserving cases are accepted at hospitals.” 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his daily COVID-19 related statement said that there were still 310 patients getting treatment in critical condition while 522 were released from hospitals after having recovered from the diseases.

He added that 12,566 coronavirus infected patients were receiving treatment at their respective houses, while 127 were isolated in Quarantine centres, in addition to 931 admitted at various health units across the province. 

Though there was no elaborate information about 35 patients who died at Karachi, a health department summary said that the deceased persons included 12 women and 23 men. 

The deceased men were in the age brackets of 40-86 years while women were aged between 40 to 73 years. 

Three more patients died of COVID-19 diseases outside of Karachi, a woman aged 45 years at Sukkur, a man of 41 years at Thatta and another woman, aged 80 years, lost her life at Hyderabad. 

Apart from Karachi’s 1,043 new cases, other districts also reported cases of infection during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on May 30. The cases were reported from Ghotki (29), Hyderabad (24), Larkana (23), Jacobabad (22), Sukkur (21), Shikarpur (21), Jamshoro (14), Khairpur (8), Shaheed Benazirabad (8), Sujawal (8), Kambar Shahdadkot (5), Mirpurkhas (5), Dadu (4), Thatta (3), Badin (3), Kashmore (2) and Sanghar (1). 

The province has detected 27,360 coronavirus positive cases so far out of 176,703 samples, the official summary added.