LARKANA: Twelve out of 69 persons whose samples were collected a couple of days before tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, raising the number of Covid-19 patients in the district to 119, according to health officials.

The officials said that of 35 Tableeghi Jamaat members who underwent second test for the virus after completing their 14-day quarantine at Tableeghi Markaz, 20 again tested positive and 15 negative. The district administration would now allow the 15 persons to return to their homes, said sources.

Police misbehave with doctors

Policeman stopped a group of doctors at Chandka bridge and insulted Dr Gulzar Tunio, in-charge of ICU for coronavirus patients at CMCH when he tried to convince the law-enforcers to allow them to go their hospitals.

Dr Tunio told Dawn that a day before police had saluted doctors performing duties at the quarantine centre in CMCH and today they were insulting them. The policeman later received calls from DIG and SSP office and allowed them to go, he said.

SSP Masood Ahmed Bangash has ordered departmental inquiry against the policeman who had misbehaved with doctors.

Meanwhile, Dr Ikram Tunio, a leader of Pakistan Medical Association, demanded the government keep all Covid-19 positive cases in quarantine centres or isolation wards established in hospitals instead of allowing the patients to remain at home where they could pose threat to other family members.

He said the patients could be looked after in accordance with WHO protocols at the isolation wards and quarantine centres.

SUKKUR: Eleven more people tested positive for coronavirus in Jacobabad on Friday in a case of local transmission of the virus.

The new cases include driver of a former MNA, PPP office-bearer, a doctor, and two prisoners at district jail.

District Health Officer Dr Ahmed Bux Jakhrani said that tests of 178 persons were carried out on April 29 and of them 11 had tested positive including the prisoners.

He said that after unearthing two cases of coronavirus among prisoners of the jail, the corona tests of all prisoners and other staff of district jail Jacobabad would be done. He said the district administration had decided to carry out tests of all inmates and jail staff in the wake infection found in the prisoners.

He said that eight members of Tableeghi Jamaat had tested negative in the first test after completion of their quarantine period and they would be sent back to their homes if they tested negative again in the second test.

HYDERABAD: Wife and son of Saeedabad assistant commissioner also tested positive for coronavirus on Friday after the official was found to have the virus a couple of days before.

The official tested positive after test report of Sindh governor confirmed he had the virus after his April 22 visit of Matiari and Hyderabad. The AC was quarantined in his office in Saeedabad while his family was living in Mir Fazal Town area in Latifabad.

BADIN: With another person testing positive for coronavirus, total number of Covid-19 patients has risen to 17 in the district, according to District Health Officer Liaquat Ali Qambrani.

He said that 11 patients had so far recovered and left for their homes. An 18-year-old student of class VIII who was a cancer patient and remained admitted to LUMHS and later to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi. He was discharged a day before and later the hospital reported he was infected with coronavirus. The Indus Hospital had refused to admit the patient in the isolation ward, he said.

Indus Hospital in-charge Dr Akhlaque Ahmed Khan said that he sent senior doctors to check the patient and they reported that the Covid-19 patient could not be kept at the hospital as he was also a cancer patient and in critical condition.

SANGHAR: Personnel of police, Rangers and Pak Army sealed Tando Adam town on Friday and advised people through loudspeakers to stay at home in the wake of emergence of another Covid-19 case in Salah Channar village near the town. So far, 25 persons had contracted the virus in the town. Of them seven had recovered and been discharged from isolation ward at Sanghar Civil Hospital, said officials.

MITHI: A 47-year-old woman tested positive for Covid-19 in Kheme-jo-Par village in Dahili taluka, said DHO Tharparkar. The infected woman was relative of a woman who had tested positive for the virus on Tuesday in the same village.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2020