Coronavirus Update: Another 392 new cases in Karachi reported

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Almost half of the COVID-19 infected districts of Sindh reported no new case on May 2 as the health authorities confirmed 427 new cases in the remaining districts, with four deaths. 

According to official data updated at 8 am on May 2, in all 3,259 suspected people were tested during the last 24 hours while Karachi reported the maximum 392 new COVID-19 cases, followed by Hyderabad district (6), Shaheed Benazirabad (6), Larkana (6), Sukkur (5), Ghotki (4), Khairpur (4) and other districts.

As many as 516 COVID-19 patients were still admitted at 30 public and private health settings across the province, while 4,390 patients were in home isolation, 733 in government managed isolation centres. 

A total 1,341 got cured till date, according to official data which revealed 6,484 COVID-19 patients in Sindh, 73.9% of whom were males while 26.1% were females. 

About frequency of patients by age, it was learnt that the maximum 1,653 patients were in the age brackets of 21-30 years, followed by 1,391 aged from 31 to 40 years, 1,391 aged 31-40 years, and other patients. 

In all 61,020 people have been tested for coronavirus so far in the province, out of which 7,102 tested positive, while 122 among them could not survive the infection and died. 

No details about the four patients who lost their lives in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on May 2 could be known as the provincial health department did not issue the routine Coronavirus summary to media. 

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine video message issued by his office, said that four more patients had died while condition of 54 patients was critical. 

The district wise breakdown of total reported cases, since February 26, came as Karachi six districts (5,323), Sukkur (448), Hyderabad (331), Khairpur (211), Ghotki (153), Larkana (167), Shaheed Benazirabad (105), Shikarpur, with no new case, (80), Tando Mohammad Khan (43), Sanghar (41), Jacobabad with no new case (35), Dadu, with no new case, (29), Naushehro Feroze, with no new case, (26), Jamshoro, with no new case, (17), Badin, with no new case, (16), Mirpurkhas, with no new case, (14), Kashmore with no news case (12), Sujawal (11), Thatta (10), Tando Allahyar, with no new case, (8), Tharparkar with no new case (7), Umerkot with no new case (5), Kamber Shahdadkot with no new case (5) and Matiari, with no new case, (5).

COVID-19 course for medical students introduced

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Aga Khan University’s Medical College has introduced a new COVID-19 course for students in all five years of its undergraduate programme in medicine and surgery (MBBS). 

The six-week course will provide students with the latest research and evidence on the structure of the disease, its development and spread, and ways to prevent and manage the coronavirus in hospital and community settings. 

“The current health crisis is unprecedented, and requires us to adapt our curriculum to provide our graduates with the necessary skill set required to deal with pandemics in general, and COVID-19 in particular,” Dr Sadaf Khan, associate dean of undergraduate education at the AKU, observed. 

She noted that the recent pandemics such as Ebola, SARS, MERS and now COVID-19 represent threats to our way of life and the long-term stability of our health systems which required universities to adopt a different approach to the study of pandemics. 

“This is a public health issue that will be of concern for an indeterminate period of time. It will impact the delivery of medical care at all levels. This module will better prepare our students for the challenges that lie ahead,” Dr Sadaf Khan added. 

The course also includes a module on the use of artificial intelligence in pandemics as a tool for surveillance, diagnosis and drug development. Penultimate and final-year students will also study diagnostic methods as well as how to create treatment plans for patients depending on the severity of the disease. 

“This course gives students the chance to understand COVID-19 from a health systems point of view. This kind of cutting-edge academic work allows our students to engage in the public health response as learners as they gear up to become tomorrow’s frontline healthcare leaders,” Dr Adil Haide, Dean, Medical College, added.

Coronavirus Update: Karachi reports all time high of 504 infections

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Karachi reported an all days’ highest 504 new COVID-19 cases, with six relevant deaths on May 1, taking the provincial tally of infected people to 6,675 across the province, according to authorities in the government. 

The latest COVID-19 data showed a 68% increase in Karachi as the cases on May 1 at 8 am, in comparison to 299 new cases confirmed in Karachi on April 30. 

However, insiders said that the spike was due to the fact that expatriates returning from Dubai, Sharjah and Colombo were tested for coronavirus recently and were included in the overall number of people tested in Karachi.

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his routine video message on May 1 said that three flights carrying 483 passengers from abroad had landed at Karachi on April 28 and 29, who were tested for COVID-19 later. 

As many as 190 of these passengers, including 92 belonging to Sindh, 56 to Punjab, 24 to KPK and 18 to Balochistan, tested positive for the virus. 

Keen observers noted that confirmation of COVID-19 in 40 percent of the examined passengers calls the authorities in Pakistan to maintain strict checking of the expatriates and isolate them from the general population.

“I don’t know how the infected and non-infected Pakistanis were brought in same flights,” lamented a public health concerned. 

Official sources said that six more COVID-19 patients lost their lives in public and private hospitals and at home in Karachi, pushing the tally of deceased patients to 118 for the province. 

About Karachi, it was learnt that its South district housed 1,301 COVID positive patients, followed by East (1,059 positive cases), Central (815), West (549), Malir (472) and Korangi (460). 

Majority of over 5,250 positive cases are receiving treatments isolated at home, while a good number of them are also admitted to the hospitals, including the Aga Khan University Hospital (55), Peoples Medical College Hopsital, Nawabshah (52), Gadap Hospital (48), PNS Shifa (36), DUHS Ojha Hospital (35), Civil Hospital Karachi (34), Isra Hospital, Hyderabad (34), Bibi Asefa Dental College (36), Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (31), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (21), Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Hospital (21), Indus Hospital, Korangi (21) and others, according to official sources. 

Apart from Karachi, 20 other districts of Sindh also reported new infections on May 1 morning – Hyderabad (19), Jamshoro (1), Badin (1), Shaheed Benazirabad (3), Naushehro Feroz (1), Sujawal (1), Thatta (1), Sanghar (4), Tando Mohammad Khan (5), Ghotki (17), Sukkur (6), Khairpur (2), Larkana (23), Dadu (1), Kambar Shahdadkot (1), Kashmore (3), Mirpurkhas (2), Tharparkar (1), Shikarpur (15) and Jacobabad (11). 

In all 3,384 people were tested for the virus, out of which 622 were found infected. The overall COVID-19 infection rate came as 11.55% across the province on May 1.

Sindh minister declares labourer as nation’s pride

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, has declared the labourer as mark of proud for the whole nation.

In a statement released on International Labour Day, he recognized the role of labour community in country’s progress and development, considering it indispensable. 

“The country’s economic and financial growth is directly linked with the satisfaction of daily wagers and the labour class. The society cannot be called sophisticated without giving the complete rights of the hard workers,” the Minister remarked, adding that the whole nation was proud of hard working people. 

“Our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) has taught us to give respect and complete pay to the labour before his sweat gets dry. We have a clear guideline through which we can achieve the higher benefits,” he said while emphasizing about the importance of the labour in Islam.

Nasir Hussain Shah stated that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) believed in giving the complete rights to the labourer. “Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the first leader who raised the voice for labour class. The PPP’s manifesto clearly defines the mission to struggle for the rights of labouer and daily wagers,” he said.

Minister, Ambassador discuss CPEC projects

By Masood Sattar Khan 
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Khushro Bukhtiar, called on Chinese Ambassador, Yao Jing, and discussed progress on various development projects being carried out under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), on April 30.

According to Chinese Embassy statement, the two sides exchanged views on advancing projects in the social and economic fields of the CPEC. 

They agreed to further strengthening cooperation in combating the new coronary pneumonia epidemic. The Federal Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, also participated in the meeting. 

Ambassador Yao believed that, Bakhtiar, having successively led various federal departments and having extensive experience at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, will play a more proactive role in China-Pakistan economic and trade cooperation. 

In the social and livelihood field of the CPEC, the governments of the two countries have launched a number of preliminary projects, which are currently progressing smoothly and subsequent projects are also being planned. 

After the outbreak of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic, the Chinese government provided a large amount of protective materials to Pakistan for the first time. 

China hopes to strengthen coordination and close coordination with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and actively promote cooperation in various fields to make new progress. 

Pakistan thanked the Chinese government for its anti-epidemic materials and cash assistance, adding that Pakistan will learn from China’s anti-epidemic experience and make full use of aid materials to control the spread of the epidemic. 

Reaffirming that cooperation in the field of social and people's livelihood was the focus of the next development of the corridor, Pakistan hoped to receive further support from China and remained willing to work with China to actively promote and plan related projects.

China donates Ramadan gift package

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

To mark the holy month of Ramadan, the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, donated a Ramadan gift package to the Minister of State for Frontier Region, Shaharyar Khan Afridi, in Islamabad.

“Pakistan and China are good neighbours and good brothers. The traditional friendship between the two countries has passed the test of time and has been highly cherished by all walks of life in Palestine,” Pakistan’s federal minister stated on the occasion, according to the details shared by the Chinese Embassy. 

“Pakistan sincerely congratulates China on its major victory in the fight against the new coronary pneumonia epidemic in the short span of time and appreciates China's active participation in international anti-epidemic cooperation,” Shaharyar Afridi complimented. 

“The epidemic situation is spreading rapidly in Pakistan and we thank the Chinese government and people for providing a large amount of anti-epidemic materials and sending medical expert teams to Pakistan. This once again reflects the sincere friendship between Pakistan and China for breathing and destiny,” he added.

“The epidemic is a common challenge for the international community, and it has made life difficult for 2.8 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Pakistan is hosting refugees from Afghanistan for more than 40 years. Due to limited resources, it urgently needs the help of the international community,” the Minister said. 

“Thank you to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan for donating the much-needed living materials to the refugees in at the beginning of Ramadan, helping the Pakistani government to ease the pressure, and also reflecting the Chinese government and people’s responsible attitude and humanitarian sentiment for actively participating in the solution of the refugee problem,” he acknowledged. 

Ambassador Yao said that Pakistan and Afghanistan were both Chinese neighbours and China highly appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in the peace reconciliation process and peaceful reconstruction in Afghanistan and appreciates Pakistan ’s hosting of millions of refugees and its tremendous contribution to the international humanitarian cause.

“In recent years, under the guidance of the three-party foreign minister dialogue mechanism the three countries have carried out friendly cooperation in areas such as building people's livelihood facilities, disaster relief, and sports and cultural exchanges,” he said. 

“The new coronary pneumonia epidemic is a common challenge between China, Pakistan and the international community. China has provided assistance to Pakistan and Afghanistan through bilateral channels to fight the epidemic. We believe that the Pakistani and Albanian governments and people will eventually overcome the epidemic,” the Ambassador hoped 

“The epidemic affects the livelihoods of refugees in Afghanistan. China hopes that these food supplies will ease the hardship of some refugee groups during Ramadan. China is willing to jointly promote the trilateral cooperation between China, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he concluded.

President Xi sends May Day greetings to working class of all nationalities in China

By Masood Sattar Khan
 (Pakistan News & Features Services)

China’s President, Xi Jinping, extended sincere greetings to the country's workers of all ethnic groups on May Day, encouraging them to contribute more to combating COVID-19 as well as promoting economic and social development through their hard work.

The President made the remark when writing back to the staff of a service-oriented private company in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, ahead of the International Labour Day on May 1. 

Xi Jinping,, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, observed that the employees of Yuanfang Group, guided by the company's Party committee, have been committed to their posts as cleaners and doormen since the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak. 

Many of them voluntarily asked to be sent to hospitals in Wuhan to provide assistance in the country's hardest-hit region, he said, praising their contributions for fighting the virus with actual deeds. 

Faced with the sudden outbreak, millions upon millions of workers in China, from front-line medical workers to those participating in epidemic prevention of all sorts, from sanitation workers to delivery workers and those who produce epidemic prevention materials, have poured their efforts into fulfilling their tasks and remaining quietly dedicated, the President said. 

Noting that greatness and heroes come from the ordinary people, Xi Jinping, encouraged the country's working people to maintain firm determination, stay motivated, overcome difficulties and continue to do extraordinary work in their positions. 

Among the 60,000 employees of Yuanfang Group, there are more than 500 Party members. Recently, Xue Rong, the company's Party secretary and also a delegate of the 19th CPC National Congress, wrote a letter on behalf of the staff to report to Xi how they have stuck to their jobs and actively participated in epidemic prevention work. They also expressed their resolution to share responsibility and overcome the current difficulties in the country.