The Sindh government resumed the coronavirus rapid tests for travellers arriving at Karachi Airport from other countries on Thursday as a result of the recent Covid outbreak in China.
Dr. Sohail Raza Shaikh, who is in charge of the Sindh Health Department, wrote to the National Command and Operation Centre stating that "40,000 rapid kits for passenger Covid tests have been provided at the Karachi airport, while three flights from China arrive in Karachi in a week” (NCOC).
He urged the NCOC to strictly enforce wearing masks and mentioned that Covid testing of passengers arriving from different flights in Karachi from Gulf countries will also be ensured.
Separately, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, the Sindh Health Minister, stated during a press conference that "the new variant could enter Pakistan [from China].”
She advised the citizens to take precautionary measures, recommending them to use masks in public places.
The minister said that her department was ready to face the situation.
“The new variant is spreading in China and we will have to take extra care,” she urged. “We do not want Covid-19 to spread again in our country,” she added. “Our people cannot afford [now] because of the prevailing economic situation.”
Azra said more than 200,000 vaccines were available in the province. She said that her department will request the WHO to provide more vaccines.
In the letter, the focal person said, the Covid vaccine was provided in the vaccination centres of Sindh, including Karachi after one month. “Due to the lack of vaccine, the centres were disabled. However, a month later, the Pfizer Covid vaccine has been provided.”
After completion of six months of the second dose, “booster dose is now being started”.
The vaccine will be delivered to all the centres of Sindh, including Karachi, in the next two days.
The NCOC and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have been recommended to begin testing inbound travellers from China for Covid-19 infections at all airports of the country.
Earlier, Reuters reported that the United States will impose mandatory Covid-19 tests on travellers from China, joining India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan in taking new measures after Beijing’s decision to lift stringent zero-Covid policies.
The new policy has been attributed to the lack of information on variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and concerns that the increased number of Covid cases in China could result in the development of new variants of the virus.
Meanwhile, the NIH reported 12 new cases across Pakistan in the last 24 hours with a case positivity ratio of 0.33 per cent.
In the letter, the Sindh government alerted authorities of the “resurgence of coronavirus related infection-related morbidities and mortalities in global proximities”, requesting them to take preventive measures to control the spread of the virus.
The provincial government suggested the NCOC impose mandatory testing for “all inbound passengers on flights from China” at airports. “In case of positive results, the person shall be quarantined until they become negative for contagion,” the letter stated, adding that serology tests of confirmed positive cases should be carried out.
“A huge number of false negative cases of new Covid-19 variant are also being reported so any person showing symptoms similar to the virus should be isolated and tested on PCR for confirmation,” it added.
In addition, the Sindh government suggested the establishment of isolation centres, mandatory administration of booster shots as well as discouragement of large public gatherings. It also recommended that for all domestic and international travel, vaccination against Covid-19 be declared mandatory.
Meanwhile, Dr Zafar Mehdi, the focal person for Covid at the Karachi airport, confirmed that Covid tests of passengers at the airport had been started.
He said that on the instructions of the provincial health minister, 40,000 kits had been provided for the test of passengers arriving at the Karachi airport. “There is a 24-hour test facility at the airport.”
Meanwhile, according to sources, Covid tests will also be started for passengers coming to Karachi from Gulf countries from Friday.
