Zubair Qureshi
The residents of Islamabad on Sunday heard the news with awe and concern that Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) received a patient, husband of a patient who has recently returned from the United States is admitted in the isolation unit of the hospital.
The lady patient is however stated to be in critical condition. She has been put on ventilator and a medical team is struggling to save her life.
This happens to be the capital’s first secondary transmission case. With the latest arrival there are now four COVID-19 patients at the isolation ward at PIMS, said to the health facility’s spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja.
Dr Waseem Khawaja said she was the only patient who had been put on ventilator and medical team headed by Dr Naseem was trying for her early recovery. He also said that the patient was the resident of a private society and reached Pakistan from the US a few days back.
Besides her, 13 persons who were in contact with her including the ambulance driver have been put in quarantine. He also said that it is suspected that the patient also visited a private hospital of the housing society before she was shifted to PIMS on COVID-19 suspicion.
The capital administration has also issued notices to all educational institutes, including religious seminaries, and marriage halls to suspend their activities for three weeks in the wake of the coronavirus
alert.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat told Pakistan Observer that the notices were served on all educational institutes and management of marriage halls, banquets and marquees.
Assistant commissioners and magistrates served the notices which warned that strict legal action would be initiated over violation of the order.
Notices have also been issued to management of hostels of educational institutes, including religious seminaries, and private hostels to get them vacated, the DC said.
However, foreign students were allowed to stay in the hostels and the managements were directed to take precautionary measures.
The administration is also considering partially closing shopping malls by suspending activities in their food courts and playing areas, he added.
Meanwhile, the capital administration also issued directives to all offices and officers concerned to observe instructions issued in the wake of the virus alert.
Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi hostels of the Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) have been reportedly vacated in case the number of patients increased in the coming days and the health authorities needed to convert them into isolation wards.
