Skip to main content

Sindh establishes first coronavirus drive-through testing facility in Karachi

A drive-through coronavirus testing centre was on Tuesday inaugurated in Karachi — the first such centre reported to be established in Pakistan.

Visiting the newly established centre, inaugurated jointly by the Sindh local government and health departments, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that it was part of the provincial government's war against the coronavirus. He said that currently the largest demand was for testing for Covid-19.

The drive-through testing facility has been established in Jahangir Kothari Parade area of Clifton, according to a press release issued by Shah's director for media management and public relations.

The doctors, paramedical staff, and other personnel deployed at the new testing facility in Karachi have been provided with all the necessary safety, protective equipment and gear to safeguard the virus, the press release added.

The media coordinator to the Sindh health minister Meeran Yousuf told Dawn.com that mobile vans belonging to the Indus Hospital are being used for the drive-through testing. She said that the vans will be going around Karachi's District South, adding that they are currently working on a proper schedule for the testing.

Citizens can call to book appointments between 9am and 5pm and the facility will collect the samples from 12pm to 3pm, said Yousuf.

According to Shah, people who visit the drive-through testing station will be registered and given a number, but for the test to be conducted, they should possess a travel history or certain symptoms of the virus.

He explained that instead of these individuals going to hospitals for testing or availing the facilities to be tested at home, they will be able to use the drive-through testing facility.

In a tweet, Shah's office explained the process for qualifying for testing at the drive-through centre:

  • In order to be tested, citizens should call the office for District Commissioner South at 02199203012 between 9am and 5pm.
  • The helpline will provide a time and code for the test.
  • There are three stages of the drive-through test.

Explaining the process, Shah said that individuals who have obtained the code for testing will also be asked questions regarding their travel history and why they want to be tested for the virus.

Shah said prior to the test being conducted, there is a filter, a new technique using an X-ray, which will help clarify if the individuals require a test or if they should be given other suggestions.

The minister said that this is the first drive-through facility in the province, adding that such centres will also be introduced in other areas across Sindh.

In a tweet, announcing the inauguration of the centre, Shah added that he had also been tested and his results were negative.

So far 676 cases have been confirmed in Sindh and a total of 1,943 cases have been confirmed across Pakistan.

Drive-through testing facilities have been set up in various countries including Germany, Lisbon and the United Arab Emirates.

In the small German town of Gross-Gerau, the drive-through testing facility has been designed to minimise exposure to medical staff and patients. The drive-in at the local hospital is one of several unexpected ways healthcare providers are tackling a fast-spreading outbreak.



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/2UwRGLx
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trump says he urged team to ‘slow’ COVID-19 testing

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was encouraging health officials in his administration to slow down coronavirus testing, arguing that increased tests lead to more cases being discovered. The president has claimed falsely on several occasions that surges of COVID-19 in several states can be explained by greater numbers of diagnostic tests. At his first rally since the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a “double-edged sword.” The United States — which has more deaths and cases than any other country — has carried out more than 25 million coronavirus tests, placing it outside the top 20 countries in the world, per capita. “Here is the bad part: When you do testing to that extent, you are going to find more people, you will find more cases,” Trump argued. “So I said to my people ‘slow the testing down.’ They test and they test.” It was not clear from Trump’s tone if he was playing to the crowd, who ...
Post a Comment
Read more

IT ministry forms panel to review social media rules

ISLAMABAD: While uproar against the new rules to regulate social media continues from various segments of society, including parliamentarians, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and civil society, the information technology ministry on Friday formed a committee to review the rules. The federal cabinet approved the rules on Feb 11, but later after opposition from various quarters, including companies that manage different social media platforms, the prime minister announced that a fresh consultation process would be launched over the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020. The committee formed by the IT ministry is headed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa while its members are Eazaz Aslam Dar, additional secretary of IT; Tania Aidrus, member of the Strategic Reforms Imple­mentation Unit, Prime Minister Office; and Dr Arslan Khalid, focal person on digital media at the PM Office. Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more

IS confirms Baghdadi’s death, vows revenge

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.—AP BEIRUT: The Islamic State militant group confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a statement on Thursday and named his replacement as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. “We mourn you ... commander of the faithful,” said Abu Hamza al-Quraishi — presented as the group’s new spokesman — in an audio statement. Baghdadi, who led IS since 2014 and was the world’s most wanted man, was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria’s province of Idlib on Sunday. The group also confirmed the killing in another raid the following day of the group’s previous spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir. The statement said the group’s legislative and consultative body convened after the 48-year-old Iraqi-born jihadist chief’s death. “The Islamic State shura council convened immediately after confirming the martyrdom of Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the elders of the holy warriors agreed” on a replacement, said the seven-minute message. Little is known abou...
Post a Comment
Read more