COVID Watch (24th March 2020)

386
COVID Watch

200 Untested

Kasur health authorities declare 200 pilgrims returning from Iran and Saudi Arabia healthy without proper tests. The pilgrims did not complain of any symptoms related to COVID-19 and were hence considered healthy.

JPMC Lacking Lab

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) without kits and diagnostics laboratory for suspected COVID-19 patients. Last week, the public hospital received an influx of around a 100 patients with flu-like symptoms.

Labourers Face Starvation

Daily-wage labourers threatened with starvation as 14-day lockdown imposed by Punjab Government dries up work. Provincial Minister of Punjab for Finance, Hashim Jawan Bakht, to announce relief package for labourers soon.

PIMS Closes OPDs

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) shuts down out-patient departments to construct isolation wards.

Minority Worship Places Closed

Minority worship places to be closed under orders from Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs, Ijaz Alam Augustine. Religious leaders announce voluntary closure of worship places amidst rising COVID-19 cases in the Punjab. 

Escaped Patient Retrieved

Suspected coronavirus disease patient caught near the Jhelum river bridge after escaping quarantine in Lahore. The patient was travelling in a bus, and has now been shifted to an isolation ward at the Civil Hospital, Jauharabad

Advisory Against Chloroquine

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issues warning to citizens against chloroquine as treatment for COVID-19. Chloroquine sales spiked after reports of its use in treating COVID-19, however its intake increases risk of heart and liver disease.