Daily Times

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Sunday said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had identified 92 hotspots in 20 cities which cover 40 percent of all active cases of COVID-19 and lockdown in these areas would affect only three percent of total population of the country.

Addressing a media briefing here at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the minister said effective hotspot lockdown could make a decisive difference.

He said by imposing lockdown in selective areas, substantial impact on disease spread could be achieved while minimizing disruption in livelihood of citizens.

Asad Umar, who also leads NCOC on corona virus, said in order to cope with increasing pressure on hospitals with oxygen beds, the federal government had decided to provide 1000 beds to various hospitals across the country by end of the current month, while 1100 more beds by the end July 2020.

He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal had visited all big cities across the country to identify the requirement of oxygen beds and NCOC had already given go ahead to NDMA for provision of beds to different hospitals.

Giving details about provision of beds in Islamabad, the minister informed that within a week, the three hospitals of the federal capital would get 189 beds in total out of which 20 beds had already been provided to Capital Development Authority (CDA) hospital and 39 more would be provided in few days.

Similarly, he said 13 beds were provided to Polyclinic hospital and 40 beds would be provided to PIMS in a couple of days, 52 more beds would be provided on Wednesday and 25 beds would be provided to PIMS on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Sunday reiterated the importance of taking precautionary measures – such as wearing masks, washing hands and practising social distancing – to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

He was addressing a press conference in Islamabad as the countrywide Covid-19 tally crossed 178,000 cases.

“We have to fight against this disease on an individual level, family level and community level,” he said, listing down things that everyone should do to slow down the spread of Covid-19 while protecting the elderly.

Urging everyone to wear masks in public, Mirza reminded the nation that the government has made it mandatory to wear masks in public to prevent the spread of infections. “It doesn’t have to be a surgical mask, the point is to cover the face to prevent infection,” he said.

Mirza recommended keeping a physical distance of at least 2 metres, or 6 feet, from others while in public. “Shaking hands, hugging or any sort of physical contact is strictly not recommended,” he said.

Reiterating the importance of washing hands during a pandemic, Mirza said that hands tend to cause infections because of how often they come in contact with the mouth. “Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. You can also use sanitiser but soap and water is more effective,” he said.

Highlighting the most vulnerable groups of population during a lethal pandemic, Mirza said that it was incumbent upon the younger, healthier people in the family to protect the elderly.

“If an elderly loved one is already suffering from a preexisting condition such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease or cancer, it’s our job to protect them,” he said. He recommended that the elderly’s physical contact be minimised and urged them to take precautions to protect themselves from getting infected.

“The elderly should definitely wear masks, wash hands and stay physically away from people,” he said, adding that living rooms of the elderly should be disinfected often.

“If they [the elderly and vulnerable] develop symptoms – fever, sore threat or cough – they shoud be isolated and a doctor should be contacted immediately,” Mirza said.