Survey of coronavirus-tested people launched

Islamabad: Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), National Institute of Health (NIH) and Health Research Advisory Board (HealthRab) have jointly launched a national survey of people tested for the coronavirus in Pakistan aimed to build ‘confirmative database’ of the pandemic in the country, leading to immediate and drastic measures while helping the decision-makers to devise strategy in line with trends and numbers.

PIMA President Professor Muhammad Afzal Mian said in a statement on Thursday that the survey of COVID-19 tested people would help understand symptomology of the viral disease in relation to age, gender, and co-morbidities. It would also bring the course of the disease with its implications into the knowledge of healthcare professionals while highlighting the psychological impact of the disease on various age groups. “In addition to that, we would also like to ascertain the psychological impact of the disease on various age groups and the ultimate outcomes of the disease,” he said.

PIMA president said that around the world and mostly in the developed countries, we have seen that the numbers, data and consistent research on the virus helped them devising strategies, which proved successful. We are making the same effort here to gather the numbers, build the strong and authentic database and then help our policymakers to go for the decision in line with the existing trend, he said.

He further said that around 2200 people who have been tested for COVID-19 would be interviewed online as per international requirements to collect national data. He added that results of the survey and its analysis would be shared with the authorities including the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) to help the policy makers in taking decisions for the country. People tested for COVID-19 by PCR, can fill this form on PIMA website; www.pima.org.pk