Islamabad: Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah has announced the province is set to impose more stringent restrictions in view of a spike in the number of COVID–19 cases.
They include complete lockdown for two weeks and a ban on inter-city transport.
“If the NCOC doesn’t take decisions on further tightening coronavirus restrictions, including a two-week ban on inter-city transport, then “we will take decisions ourselves,” said Shah.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Institute of Animal Health in Korangi, Karachi on Thursday, Shah said Pakistan was “saved” from a severe coronavirus wave last year because it shut down domestic travel through planes and trains.
He said he had recently recommended to the NCOC that inter-city transport be shut down for two weeks and the minister in charge of the forum, Asad Umar, assured him that it would be considered.
Pakistan on Thursday reported an all time high tally of single-day cases - 4,974, the highest number in the current year while 96 people succumbed to COVID-19 in the same period.
According to the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC), the country witnessed 9.94 per cent positivity rate on Thursday against 10 per cent a day earlier.
After the latest figures of infections and deaths shared by the NCOC, Pakistan’s total cases of COVID-19 stand at 672,931 while the death toll has surged to 14,530.
The NCOC data further reveals that 50,055 tests were conducted during the past 24 hours and the country’s total recoveries had crossed 605,274.
The number of active cases are 53,127, says the NCOC’s portal.
Islamabad hospitals reach maximum capacity level
Hospitals in Islamabad have already reached their maximum capacity as COVID-19 situation in the federal capital is worsening.
The city reported 724 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and patients at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) are being told to report at the Emergency department before they are allotted a bed at the Isolation Ward of the hospital.
PIMS, a tertiary care hospital, has started referring patients due to a lack of beds. Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic), another hospital, the second biggest in the capital, does not have even a single ventilator vacant.
More than 5,000 patients visit Polyclinic daily and the hospital administration is at a loss to cope with the additional number of COVID-19 patients.
Punjab to vaccinate physically challenged at their homes
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has announced that the provincial government has started a facility to vaccinate physically challenged people, who cannot come to the vaccination centres, at their homes.
They can send their CNIC (computerised national identity card) numbers to 1033 to register themselves and ambulances provided by the provincial government would come to their homes to vaccinate them.
The provincial government has set aside Rs1.5 billion (Dh 36.066 million) to meet its oxygen demand.
According to the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar there has been a 7 per cent increase in the province’s oxygen demand with a spike in coronavirus cases.
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