15 days lockdown under active consideration

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15 days lockdown under active consideration

KARACHI Jul 28,2021 – Sindh is heading to medical emergency and actively considering 15 days lockdown in major cities to combat the fast spread of corona virus.

According to official statistics corona wave in Sindh and Karachi in general has risen alarmingly, with Corona’s positive cases in Karachi exceeding 30 percent. Hence no other way to stop the spread of virus but to resort to lockdown, health experts said.

15-day lockdown proposed

Medical experts and Sindh health department has reportedly recommend 15-day lockdown to provincial task force, but after consultation with traders and other stakeholders, decision will be taken.

Secretary General of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Dr Qaiser Sajjad proposed lockdown for 15 days in Karachi. According to him in fact positive cases are more than the official figures.

CM Sindh provincial corona task force meeting will be held on Friday, to take the final decision on the subject.

Sources said the lockdown is proposed in cities where corona infection rate is higher than 20%.

Consultation process

The government is taking on board the trade community also and ministerial committee is holding talks with them.

Sindh government will seeking help of law enforcement agencies to implement lockdown and implement SOPs.

Medical emergency  

Meanwhile emergency measures are also been initiated to increase the capacity of hospitals in the provincial capital.

Sindh government has decided to increase the number of ventilators and oxygen beds availability in all hospitals in Karachi, keeping in view the increase in the number of corona virus cases in the city. The decision was made at a key meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah.

The meeting was attended by Parliamentary Secretary Health Qasim Siraj Soomro, Secretary Health Dr. Kazim Jatoi, Commissioner Karachi Naveed Ahmed Sheikh, Administrator Karachi Laiq Ahmed, Executive Director Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre Hospital Seemi Jamali and MS of all hospitals of Karachi division.

More beds, ventilators and oxygen arrangements

Secretary Health informed the meeting that there are 398 ventilators for COVID patients in public hospitals in Karachi.

He further informed that there are 906 HDU beds and 293 low oxygen beds. The Secretary Health further informed that all the medical superintendents have been empowered to meet the shortage of staff in the hospitals.

Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said that this is an emergency and all your doctors have experience working in the emergency, he added there is a lot of pressure on health facilities right now.

Temporary Recruitment

Chief Secretary directed that for 89 days doctors, paramedical staff should be recruited in the hospitals if necessary.

Chief Secretary Sindh further said that in the event that all the COVID beds should be functional in hospitals, action would be taken against MS, in case of default. He added that 32 more ventilators would be upgraded in Karachi by August 4. A further 110 HDU beds and 40 low flowbeds will be created. While Infection Disease Hospital will also have 8 ventilators and HDUs for children. While an isolation ward with 100 beds will be set up at the Expo Center Karachi.

Isolation centers for travelers 

Chief Secretary Sindh instructed Commissioner Karachi and Deputy Commissioner Malir to set up a 100-bed isolation center for outgoing travelers in Malir, for which all facilities would be provided by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

Chief Secretary Sindh further said that oxygen tanks were also being constructed in Karachi hospitals. During the meeting, the Chief Secretary Sindh directed the Finance Department to provide funds for the facilities of hospitals.

Speaking at the meeting, Qasim Siraj Soomro, parliamentary secretary of health, said it was important that the victims of heart disease should be treated in NICVD.