Four weeks critical in overcoming Covid-19: Top doctors advocate strict countrywide lockdown

KARACHI: Terming the coming a month basic in attempting to defeat the coronavirus pandemic in the nation, some top specialists have requested the administrative and commonplace governments to authorize a severe nation wide lockdown for one more month. The prominent doctors of the nation cautioned that if preventive measures were not taken, the quantity of COVID-19 cases could reach up to 70,000 by one month from now (May 15). We gauge that upwards of 7,000 basic cases would require ventilators and the nation doesn't have in excess of 3,500 ventilators, they guaranteed. 

"We are expecting facilitating of the lockdown and this can demonstrate heartbreaking for Pakistan. In the event that we don't authorize the lockdown in letter and soul, the anticipated number of Coronavirus cases can ascend to 70,000 by May 15. Upwards of 7,000 individuals would require life support yet our nation doesn't have the ability to take into account even 50% of those patients," said Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz, a famous doctor and gastroenterologist, while tending to a news gathering alongside a few different specialists at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday. They requested restricting a wide range of groups and assemblies, including those at general stores, shopping centers and mosques, saying individuals ought to abstain from social occasion at wherever in any event for one and a half to two months, with the goal that transmission of coronavirus could be limited however much as could reasonably be expected and asked the Ulema and individuals to offer supplications at homes. 

They likewise requested total conclusion of shopping centers, grocery stores and stores and every other spot where individuals accumulate at one spot, saying this is the point at which we ought to carefully execute the lockdown to facilitate the weight on the nation's delicate human services framework. 

Joined by Prof. Abdul Bari Khan, CEO Indus Hospital Karachi, Prof Misbahul Aziz, previous Central president Pakistan Islamic Medical Association, PIMA, Dr. Qaiser Sajjad, Secretary General, Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Prof Sohail Akhter and Prof. Atif Hafeez Siddiqui from PIMA, Prof. Muhammad Azeemuddin, President PIMA Karachi, Dr. Imran Hamid and Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz said that when lockdown was facilitated in Sindh, an exponential development in COVID-19 cases was seen during the most recent five days. 

"The week-wise information proposes an exponential increment in the quantity of patients. We have seen a quick increment of 2,692 patients in only five days when the lockdown was facilitated (6,772 on April 16, to 9,464 on April 21). This is extremely disturbing and we dread the circumstance to deal with specialists and the administration," Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz guaranteed, and requested that the individuals adhere to the counsel and guidelines of specialists as opposed to tuning in to gossipy tidbits and legends. Guaranteeing that around 162 human services suppliers were influenced with Coronavirus in Sindh alone, Dr. Saad said COVID-19 is a clinical issue and just specialists and doctors comprehend it the best. "Fantasy of our kin being increasingly invulnerable to the illness has turned the circumstance more regrettable. On the off chance that we overlooked the alerts now, the patients would lie in the passages of clinics," he included. 

CEO of the Indus Health Network Prof. Abdul Bari Khan said 80 percent of the disconnection beds at the ICUs of a couple of clinics treating COVID-19 patients were at that point involved and uncovered that there was no space accessible for additional patients at Indus, Ojha and Aga Khan Hospitals for the COVID-19 patients. "In the event that we neglected to value the gravity of the circumstance and kept on moving around without security precautionary measure, I'm apprehensive there would be an exponential development in the quantity of cases and high mortality in the days to come. We bid to you to follow our recommendation, follow the lockdown and don't wander out during May to stay safe and forestall others likewise," Prof. Abdul Bari Khan included. 

Bari said around 175 stable patients were admitted to the Field Isolation Center at Expo Center with a limit of 200, which will flood with patients. "In the event that this proceeds, we dread medical clinics would start dismissing patients and God preclude in the comings days, the emergency clinics may need to single out patients for ventilators on premise of who has better odds of endurance," he cautioned. 

"Truth be told, seriousness is more prominent than we might suspect. Social insurance laborers (HCW) have contracted Covid-19 itself. In excess of 162 HCW tried positive in Sindh. A lot more others have been isolated. This fast decrease in labor is now harming the administration of patients," he expressed. Lamenting that neither they have any fix at present nor the ability to battle this sickness, Prof. Bari said the best way to spare lives is to stoppage the quantity of cases by executing social separating and severe lockdown for the following barely any weeks. 

Prof. Atif Hafeez Sidiqui of PIMA requested severe authorization of lockdown and avoidance of a wide range of gatherings to contain the fast spread of Covid–19 and said while the administration ought to play out its duty by executing the lockdown, the overall population ought to participate by remaining inside while the business network should bear the hardship for a couple of more weeks by keeping their stores and strip malls shut with the exception of those of essential necessities. Sidiqui solicited the Ulema from call organizations to embrace the need to get the average citizens far from assemblages in mosques as that by itself can spare lives. Alluding to other Islamic nations, he said most have shut the mosques including Haramain, for the present. Taraveeh can be offered at home and correspondingly the standard petitions and those of Jumma must be restricted to be gone to by the mosque staff just, he included.