Pakistani-American Doctors Raise Concerns over Virus Surge in Their Homeland
By Anwar Iqbal
Washington: Awareness, food security, social-distancing and face masks are four immediate steps needed to curb the spread of new coronavirus in Pakistan, said a group of US-based Pakistani physicians and scientists.
Alarmed by an official warning on Monday that Covid-19 infections in Pakistan could reach up to 1.2 million by the end of July, they urged Pakistani citizens to strictly comply with safety guidelines to reverse the rising trajectory of new cases.
Some suggested an immediate lockdown for at least two to three weeks followed by a gradual reopening while others said such a lockdown would be ideal but difficult to implement.
Dr Khalid Abdullah, who works for a Nobel-winning advocacy group called Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), argued it would be almost impossible to “achieve a complete lockdown” in Pakistan.
“We, in South Asia, have three major handicaps – population density, poverty and unawareness and we must tailor our plans accordingly,” he said. “In a place where 10 to 15 people live in a small house, lockdown will not work.”
Noting that a large portion of Pakistan’s work force consists of daily-wage earners, Dr Abdullah warned that a complete lockdown could “force millions to starve”.
The next best option, according to him, is promoting social responsibility, which includes hand-washing, wearing face masks and maintaining a safe distance.
“And the media also needs to play its role in creating social responsibility,” said Dr Abdullah. “Please, please stop showing totkay and fake cures on TV. Bring medical experts to talk about these issues, not celebrities and politicians.”
Dr Abdullah urged the government to establish “a supply chain” to provide food, as “no matter what we do, this crisis will increase poverty and hunger.”
And this is where the governments “need to show fiscal responsibility. The current budget allocations for health and food safety will not work. We need to do more.”
“The situation in Pakistan is spiraling out of control,” warned Dr Tariq Shahab, a Pakistani physician in Virginia who does a daily talk-show on social media to increase awareness. “Hospitals are running out of beds. We are getting desperate calls from all over the country, seeking help.”
Some of the callers, he said, wanted medicines like Actemra or Remdesivir, which are only given after government approval, and some sought plasma donors.
Dr Shahab blamed the easing of restrictions around Eid for a sudden rise in infections. – Dawn
Reuters adds: Pakistani authorities said they will re-impose strict lockdowns in selected areas of several cities from Monday night, a day after the federal government said COVID-19 cases could multiply eightfold by the end of July and hit 1.2 million.
The South Asian country lifted its countrywide lockdown on May 9, citing economic stress, and has since seen infection rates rise from 1-in-10 tests to more than 1-in-5.
"A total of 20 cities across Pakistan have been identified as having likely increase in ratio/speed of infection which needs restrictive measures for containment," a statement by the body that coordinates the national response to the virus said on Monday.
Pakistan has reported 144,477 cases of the respiratory illness and 2,729 deaths so far.
However, the rate of daily cases has been rising fast in the country of 207 million, a point noted by the World Health Organization in a letter to Pakistani authorities last week.
Prime Minister Imran Khan ruled out a nationwide lockdown on Saturday.
One of the cities that will see fresh restrictions is the densely populated eastern metropolis of Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's largest province Punjab.
A senior official told Reuters a number of areas of Lahore would be sealed for two weeks, with entry or exit barred, and government-issued safety guidelines would be enforced in markets using paramilitary forces.
Parts of Pakistan's capital Islamabad, as well as Peshawar, will see similar measures, provincial and national officials said, with more cities expected to follow suit.
On Sunday, Planning Minister Asad Umar said cases could double by the end of June to 300,000, and reach 1 million to 1.2 million by the end of July if current trends continued.
According to The News, areas in major cities in Pakistan underwent a 'smart lockdown' on Tuesday after the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) issued a list of 20 cities identified as coronavirus hotspots across the country.Parts of Islamabad and Peshawar have been sealed with major areas of Lahore set to go under lockdown from midnight tonight.
Moreover, areas identified in Swat include Bahrain, Matta, Babuzai, Kabal, Barikot, Khariri, Gwalerai and Odigram.
Other tehsils identified by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department include UC Qambar, Saeedoshareef, Breekot Gharbi, Quetta Sharki, Kozabandi and Madin.
More than 489 people have been infected in these areas, the provincial health department said.
In Peshawar, the four areas that have been identified as coronavirus hotspots were sealed. Lockdown has been imposed in Ahsrafia Colony, Channa Road, Danishabad and Hayatabad in Phase 1/Sector E-1.
“A total of 20 cities across Pakistan have been identified as having likely increase in ratio/speed of infection which needs restrictive measures for containment,” a statement by the NCOC had said on Monday.
Pakistan has reported over 148,000 cases and more than 2,800 deaths so far from the novel coronavirus.
The cities identified by the NCOC are Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Swat, Hyderabad, Sukkar, Sialkot, Gujarat, Ghotki, Larkana, Khairpur, DG Khan, Malakand and Mardan.
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