LAHORE: The coronavirus outbreak was almost averted in Camp Jail where 47 out of total 59 ‘infected’ inmates were tested negative and sent back from temporarily established 100-bed field hospital to their barracks on Tuesday.

They recovered fast after a panel of senior medics from Services Hospital suggested to them anti-malarial medication - hydroxychloroquine - during their stay at the hospital in Camp Jail.

A suspected drug smuggler, who was caught red-handed at the airport, appeared as “super-spreader inmate” for transmitting virus to 59 prisoners of three barracks.

The home department and the health officials had [jointly] generated a high alert in Camp Jail about the possible outbreak of coronavirus due to presence of 527 suspected patients of the virus.

They were shifted to barracks at Camp Jail from field hospital

After taking stock of the situation in a high-level meeting on March 27, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, home department and health minister Prof Dr. Yasmin Rashid assigned task to the Services Hospital to set up at 100-bed hospital at Camp Jail.

At a time when the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued interim guidelines for prisons in the wake of Covid-19, controlling infection outbreaks in prisons, with people staying near each other, has never been easy.

“An Italy-returned passenger carrying contraband at the Lahore airport before his departure was caught in March and brought to the jail,” Services Hospital Lahore principal Prof Dr Mahmood Ayaz told Dawn.

He said the inmate, who was showing symptoms of flu, and his international history alerted the jail and health authorities who immediately suggested his complete screening for the virus.

As a health team sent his swabs for analysis, the reports confirmed him positive for the virus, creating a high alert in the jail as he had spent time in three barracks of the jail.

During an investigation, the health and jail authorities managed to identify/trace 527 contacts of the infected prisoner from three barracks.

By April 9, all the 527 inmates suspected for the virus had undergone nasopharyngeal swabbing.

Dr Ayyaz said the reports later tested 59 of them positive for the virus and were immediately shifted to the jail’s isolation ward.

The Services Hospital panel of senor medics visited the jail, identified barracks and 194 single cell areas to set up the required hospital.

“This task was accomplished by the speedy action of the home department Punjab and jail authorities,” he said.

Round-the-clock healthcare facilities were provided to the patients by the doctors and consultants of Services Hospital.

“We administered a certain dose of hydroxychloroquine to them for four days and then a new dose with slight change for another period of three days,” said Prof Ayaz.

At the same time the provision of special disposable high nutrition meals thrice a day for these prisoners was done.

The reports tested 37 of them negative on the 5th day of their isolation in the jail. The tests repeated 24 hours later also confirmed that they have recovered completely.

The samples of the other infected inmates were also sent on 5th day of their medication and then the tests repeated 24 hours later confirmed 10 of them negative.

As a result of concerted efforts 47 out of 59 prisoners have recovered completely and so far there has been no casualty.

“The situation that could have resulted in a catastrophe was averted by dint of the foresight and efforts of the teams from the Services Hospital and the Camp Jail,” said Dr Ayyaz.

Now the corona-positive patients are also being brought from other jails to the field hospital at Camp Jail for treatment.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2020