Strict lockdown on hot spots: PM Imran Khan

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said the lockdown would be further softened but the hot spots to face strict lockdown as the health protocols would be strictly enforced, as people’s indifference to the pandemic was jeopardising the lives of old and chronically ill people.

In his televised address to the nation after chairing a meeting here to review the coronavirus situation in the Punjab province, the prime minister lamented the indifferent attitude of the masses towards the pandemic.

He reiterated that the government would no more tolerate laxity in compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He said the government gave the people an opportunity to continue their economic activities by strictly adhering to the SOPs.

“But it pains me that you have not implemented those SOPs. You should realize the threat seriously. Your indifferent attitude can push the country into a disaster with the healthcare system crushing under the increasing number of patients,” the prime minister said.

He was flanked by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Special Assistant the PM Usman Dar, Focal Person on COVID-19 Dr Faisal Sultan and provincial ministers Dr Yasmin Rashid and Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht.

The prime minister said they had reviewed the situation in Punjab and reached the conclusion that the majority of the people were not considering the virus as a real threat.

“By expressing ignorance, they are putting the lives of old and chronically ill people at risk,” he added.

He said now they had decided to go for the strictest restrictions by tracing out hotspots and would close down those areas posing higher risks for the COVID-19 spread.

He also admitted that the administration and police force did not have the resources and manpower to tackle the issue, and additional members of the Tiger Force would be mobilized in that regard.

“Wearing of masks would be mandatory now and no one would be allowed to move without wearing a mask, he added.

The prime minister also warned that the infection would further spread and the month of July would be crucial, as they had to face problems in that month.

“The main responsibility rests with the people to face the situation as the careless attitude has so far increased the infections,” he added.

Reiterating his stance over the complete lockdown, Imran said it would have meant complete economic closure and destruction.

Pakistan, he said, had a different economic situation when compared with Singapore, Taiwan or Thailand, which had small population and economies with no social distancing issues.

About 25 per cent population of Pakistan is living below the poverty line, he said. If the economic activities were halted, it would have burdened the lower income groups, daily wagers, and labourers.

The prime minister said smart lockdown was the only solution to the current situation.

He mentioned that the government took steps to keep the wheels of economy moving, and save the common man from financial burden. The government faced difficulties in presenting the current fiscal budget.

The prime minister said even New York mayor was declaring that they had become bankrupt despite having huge revenue and financial resources.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said 10,000 COVID-specific beds were available in the province where out of 3,055 admitted patients, 215 were critical and 193 on ventilators.

She said on average 40 percent of the health facilities were vacant and available for the coronavirus patients in the province.

She thanked the prime minister for ordering the National Disaster Management Authority to provide 1,000 oxygenated beds to the province and allowed Roche company to import the much-needed Actemra injections from the United States other than Japan. However, she strongly forbade the people to use the medicine without the expert advice for having adverse impacts in certain conditions.

Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht said Bulgaria and South Korea had controlled the disease with the cooperation of volunteers. A specified mobile app had been designed to help the volunteers report the SOPs’ violations directly to the administration.

Dr Faisal Sultan said some extra precautions needed to be taken. The said software would also guide the administration in smart and targeted lockdown to contain the virus.

Usman Dar said out of one million registered volunteers, 225,000 had fulfilled their responsibility. He said the volunteers had successfully played their role during the Holy Month of Ramazan to ensure the enforcement of SOPs at mosques.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza Saturday said Tocilizumab (Actemra) and Remedesivir injections used for management of COVID-19 patients were being made available by the government.

Chairing a meeting on the issue here, he said these medicines would be distributed to the critically ill patients through a robust mechanism to meet the needs of various hospitals.

“Overcharging of Actemra injection will not be allowed,” said Dr Zafar Mirza.

“Taking cognizance of short supply of the two injections, we took immediate action and after extensive efforts there is an improvement in availability status of Tocilizumab injection,” he said.

Approved Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for Actemra (Tocilizumab) 80mg injection is Rs11,952 per vial, Rs29,882 for Actemra 200mg injection vial and Rs59,764 for Actemra 400mg injection vial.

He said a strict action would be taken against elements involved in overcharging or black-marketing of life-saving drugs in accordance with the DRAP Act 2012.

He said the public was encouraged to inform DRAP on its toll-free number 0800-03727 in case they had been overcharged for Actemra injection.

He said directions had been issued to the National Task Force on Eradication of Spurious and Substandard Drugs to apprehend black-marketers and those indulging in overcharging.

Tocilizumab injection is a humanized monoclonal antibody that is ordinarily used as an immune suppressant agent in rheumatoid arthritis.

The National Clinical Management Guidelines have included it for use in treatment of critically ill patients of COVID-19 who have Cytokine Release Storm (a condition, which is a subset of critically ill COVID patients can develop and is established through certain laboratory tests).

However, its availability remained an issue, as it is being imported from Japan only.

In order to resolve the shortage issue, the DRAP has approved import of Tocilizumab injection from the United States of America as well.

Multiple consignments of the injection have arrived; however, it will be made available through authorized distributors only.

Hospitals and institutions treating critically ill COIVD-19 patients can contact Roche Company on 0304-1111085 for availability of the injection.

Another important medicine, Remdesivir, is a relatively new antiviral medicine recommended for use in moderate to severe disease by Pakistan's National Clinical Management Guidelines and has been shown to shorten the duration of illness.

In the Drug Registration Board meeting held on 8th and 11th June, two importers and 12 local manufacturers of Remedesivir have been approved for market authorization.

The approvals would allow larger quantities to be made available.

After the approval of medicines for emergency registration, the Drug Pricing Committee of DRAP held an emergency meeting on Saturday on the request of Dr Zafar Mirza to fix maximum price for Remedesvir, a statutory requirement in accordance with the Drug Pricing Policy 2018 and will be soon approved by the federal government.

Information about Remedesivir registration status can be obtained from DRAP’s toll free number.

He said the government was also planning to import and provide these lifesaving medicines for the patients, who could not afford them,” said Dr Mirza.

To remove any confusion, it is important to clarify that until now importers were bringing very limited number of Remdesivir vials. However, after the recent approvals, now importers will be able to import relatively large quantities.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Pakistan rose to 135,702 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed.

Of the total 135,702 confirmed cases, Sindh reported 51,518 cases, Punjab 50,087, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 17,450, Balochistan 7,866, Islamabad Capital Territory 7,163, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,044, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 574.

As many as 2,705 new cases were reported in the Punjab province during the last 24 hours.

Of the total 2,593 deaths, 938 have died in Punjab, 816 in Sindh, 661 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 80 in Balochistan, 71 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 16 in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK 11.

The Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department spokesperson Saturday said the death toll reached 938 after 48 more deaths, while 17,560 patients recovered in the province.

The health department confirmed that 1,342 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in Lahore, 20 in Nankana Sahib, 2 in Kasur, 14 in Sheikhupura, 260 in Rawalpindi, 3 in Attock, 3 in Chakwal, 54 in Gujranwala, 37 in Sialkot,9 in Narowal, 82 in Gujrat, 2 in Hafizabad, 1 in Mandi Bahauddin, 196 in Multan, 8 in Khanewal, 9 in Vehari, 237 in Faisalabad, 4 in Chiniot, 47 in Toba Tek Singh, 21 in Jhang, 57 in Rahimyar Khan, 14 in Sargodha, 5 in Mianwali, 17 in Layyah, 3 in Bhakkar, 8 in Bahawalnagar, 83 in Bahawalpur, 6 in Lodhran, 68 in Dera Ghazi Khan,17 in Rajanpur, 25 in Okara and 46 in Sahiwal districts.

Five new case of COVID-19 were reported in Pakpattan district during the last 24 hours. The Punjab health department conducted 338,714 corona tests.

People have been appealed to wash their hands with soap several times in a day to protect them from the COVID-19. The healthcare department advised the people to contact on 1,033 immediately, if anyone developed symptoms of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was Saturday told that a smart lockdown had been enforced in 1,292 localities across the country during last 24 hours to prevent further spread of the pandemic.

The Centre was also told that a total of 308,600 people were affected due to imposition of smart lockdown in different areas.

In the federal capital, smart lockdown was imposed in sectors G-9/2 and G-9/3 along with Karachi Company (G9 Markaz) in last 24 hours.

The forum was told that a total of 10 localities in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) having population of 60,000 population were under smart lockdown.

The forum was also informed that the federal and provincial authorities were ensuring compliance of health guidelines/instructions, particularly regarding workplaces, industrial sector, transport, markets, and shops, besides pursuing the Track, Trace and Quarantine (TTQ) strategy.

The NCOC was told that smart lockdown was enforced in 844 areas of Punjab affecting a population of some 15,200 in last 24 hours.

Similarly, the lockdown was imposed in 414 localities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with population of 11,000, seven localities in Sindh with population of 7,000, 12 areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and five areas in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The forum was told that over 13,116 violations of health guidelines/instructions were observed across Pakistan in last 24 hours.

Punitive actions were taken against some 1,541 markets/shops, 33 industrial units and 1,429 transport vehicles.

In the Islamabad Capital Territory, 44 hotels, 120 shops and seven industrial units and seven workshops were sealed and 42 transport vehicles banned due to over 255 SOP violations.

Likewise, 163 markets and shops were sealed, and 170 transport vehicles fined over 1,037 violations of COVID SOPs in the AJK.

Similarly, 37 shops/markets and15 industrial units were sealed/closed, and 83 transport vehicles fined over 231 SOP violations in Gilgit-Baltistan.

In KP, 122 transport vehicles were fined with 239 shops/markets sealed / closed owing to 5,798 violations, while 820 shops and nine industrial units were closed / sealed, and 776 transport vehicles fined over 3,753 violations in Punjab.

Likewise, 217 transport vehicles were fined, and 81 shops and one industrial unit were closed/sealed over 1,306 violations of COVID SOPs in Sindh, while action was taken against 81 shops / markets, one industrial unit and 217 transport vehicles over 736 SOP violations in Balochistan.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani tested positive for coronavirus.

Gilani’s son Kasim Gilani from his twitter account accused the government and National Accountability Bureau of endangering his father’s life while summoning her to appear before the NAB court despite the pandemic.

In a tweet, Kasim Gilani sarcastically stated, “Thank you Imran Khan’s government and National Accountability Bureau! You have successfully put my father’s life in danger. His COVID-19 result came positive.”

Gilani’s eldest son Musa Gilani tweeted, “I pleaded with my father not to attend court and ask for an exemption but he smiled back and said he had quietly spent more than 1500 days and nights behind the bars believing in the strength and supremacy of the Constitution & the Law, and he was not about to stop believing now.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani also tested positive for coronavirus infection and he has isolated himself at his home.

In his tweet on social media, Ghani disclosed about his illness on Friday night.

“I have just been tested positive for #COVID19 and I have self-isolated myself. May Allah give strength to fight this Pandemic. May Allah keep us all safe! My request to everyone to act responsibly and please don't go out unnecessarily,” he tweeted.

His daughter and son-in-law have also been tested positive for coronavirus.

Another provincial lawmaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Saturday contracted coronavirus.

Ayesha Bano, who is members of the KP Assembly and leader of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), took the test after she fell ill.

The lawmaker has quarantined herself at her home after the result came back positive.

One of the wives of Shahbaz Sharif has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus infection, days after Pakistan’s top opposition leader went into self-isolation after testing positive.

“Punjab’s ‘lifelong’ Khadim e Aaala’s (intentional) exposure 2 huge crowds at NAB & court, obviously infected him with Covid 19. Yesterday I too tested positive. I wept, NOT 4 us, but 4 the majority of people who can neither afford the test nor the protocol! I pray ONLY4 them!” Tehmina Durrani said in a tweet on Saturday.

The tally of Sindh Assembly members who have tested positive for coronavirus ahead of a session of the provincial legislature has reached 23.

The assembly members who recently tested positive for novel coronavirus are Naseem Rajpar and Moazzim Abbasi of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Ghulam Jillani, Ali Khurshidi, Mangla Sharma, Sharjeel Memon, Saleem Kalmati, Shahana Ashaar, Shajeela Laghari, Noor Ahmed Bhurgri, Liaquat Askani, Khurram Sherzaman and Shabbir Qureshi.

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has tested positive, he Twittered on Saturday.

“I’ve been feeling unwell since Thursday; my body had been aching badly. I’ve been tested and unfortunately I’m COVID-19 positive. Need prayers for a speedy recovery, InshaAllah,” the 40-year-old tweeted.

Meanwhile, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar Saturday separately called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to the PM Office media wing.

The prime minister arrived here on a daylong visit.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfaraz Saturday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

During the meeting, the provincial minister apprised the prime minister about the steps being taken for implementation of the university roadmap process, PM Office Media Wing in a press release said.

He also expressed his resolve to continue with the steps for the promotion of education even in the coronavirus pandemic.