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Karachi, March 19, 2020 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has released Rs7.21 billion, including Rs6.9 billion to health department and rest of the amount to commissioner Sukkur to contain and combat COVID-19 threat. Presiding over 22nd meeting of Task Force on Coronavirus here at CM House, he said that Sindh government has released Rs6.9 billion to health department for purchase of medicines, equipment, generators, diet charges, sanitizers, kits and swabs.
He also said that he has released Rs16.7 million and another Rs15.1 million to commissioner Sukkur to for preparation of isolation Center at Labour Colony, purchase of equipments, hiring of vehicles, food charges and proper care of pilgrims arrived there from Taftan in two phases. The meeting was told that 757 new pilgrims from Taftan have reached. The commissioner said that so far 180 samples of newly arrived pilgrims have been taken and sent to Karachi for test.
Another batch of 88 pilgrims Taftan have reached Larkana and kept in isolation Centre set up at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto University, Airja campus, Larkana. The chief minister directed health department to send them swabs and kits for tests. The meeting was told that four new cases have been diagnosed in Karachi. There are 66 patients in Karachi, one in Hyderabad and 151 in Sukkur. The locally transmitted cases have reached to 40. The tally of coronavirus cases has risen to 217 in the province.
The health department told the chief minister that on his instruction the testing capacity has been increased. Indus Hospital has increased its capacity from 200 to 800, Ziauddin to 50 tests, SIUT up 100 per day, Ojha upto 100 per day, and Aga Khan 200 tests. In this way the capacity has increased from 400 to 1250 tests per day. However, he directed PPHI and government hospitals/DHQs to explore ways and means to start testing facility.
The meeting was told that a 23-beded Isolation Center has been created at SIUT. The meeting was told that the Sindh govt hospitals reported 1874 suspects with Pneumonia symptoms, of them 43 were with severe symptoms and their samples have been for test. The private hospitals reported 702 suspect cases, of them 33 samples have been taken for test.
The airport authorities told that 24 flights were scheduled today out of which 10 were cancelled and the reaming flights brought 3209 passengers to the megacity. All the passengers were screened and one of them was found to be suspect and his sample was taken and result is pending.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019(Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk