Pakistan surpasses China in number of coronavirus cases
COVID-19 cases jump to 85,264 after officials report 4,688 new infections and 82 deaths in 24 hours; government abolishes two-day quarantine policy for air travellers
Doctors at hospitals in Pakistan are bracing for a surge of COVID-19 patients as the country’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed the number in neighbouring China.
Pakistan’s confirmed cases jumped to 85,264 on Thursday after officials reported 4,688 new infections during the previous 24 hours and 82 deaths, a single-day record for virus-related fatalities.
The developments prompted the government to order the closure of all shopping malls and markets where social distancing regulations are being ignored.
A medical team of Chinese doctors met the country’s President Arif Ali in Islamabad to share their experience treating COVID-19 patients.
Pakistan has witnessed a steady increase in infections and deaths since last month, when the government lifted a lockdown that was enforced in March to slow the spread of the new virus.
A total of 1,770 people in Pakistan have died in the pandemic.
The number of COVID-19 patients, who have recovered in Pakistan, has topped 30,000.
Officials said the recoveries have been because of the precautions, use of proper medicines by the patients and their timely medical care.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that he does not blame the public for the violation of standard operating procedures (SOPS) as the “mixed messages” have led to confusion regarding the seriousness of the virus.
He demanded that a “unified message” be given to people so that they can obey SOPS set by governments. He said that nothing was more important than the lives of people.
The chief minister said that he has never criticised the federal government but he has disagreed with the Centre’s decision. He said he has been holding pressers to clarify the “mixed messages” being conveyed to people.
He told reporters that the relaxations in lockdown that were introduced in April have inflicted huge damage on the country. He said that decisions should be made while taking the entire country into consideration, including Sindh. “Sindh is not an island, it is a part of Pakistan,” the chief minister said. Shah said that the decisions taken unanimously by the federal and provincial governments were strictly implemented in the province by him.
Earlier, the government has abolished the 48-hour quarantine condition for air travellers and would instead be sent to their homes after a medical check-up and test at the airports, aviation sources said.
The sources said that the government changed the standard operating procedures (SOPS) for the international air travellers simultaneously with easing the lockdown and coronavirus-induced travel restrictions in the country.
They added that the decision was taken because the capacity at the quarantine centres had been contracting owing to increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
According to the new SOPS, all passengers would undergo a complete medical check-up at the airports, while the staff deputed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and provincial health departments at the airports will test the travellers for coronavirus.
After the medical check-up and the coronavirus test, the passengers will be allowed to go their homes, instead of the quarantine centre, if they do not show any COVID-19 symptoms.
Decision about suspected coronavirus patients had been left on the discretion of doctors.
Under the new policy, all the passengers will be checked at the health counters of the airports.
The record will carry the names and addresses of suspected coronavirus travellers and will be quarantined at home upon not showing any symptoms.
On Wednesday, the NIH team conducted medical check-ups and coronavirus tests of all the passengers including 281 travellers coming from the US and 253 travellers coming from Saudi Arabia in a special PIA flight at the Islamabad airport, after which all the travellers were permitted to go to their homes.
Separately, the French air safety organisation has announced that the data of the ill-fated PK-8303 black box was successfully downloaded and being analysed.