Is the thought of CoronaVirus in Pakistan giving you anxiety? Should it be giving you anxiety? We break down the current situation on CoronaVirus in Pakistan and give practical advice to protect you and your family.
The novel CoronaVirus Covid-19 is a PANDEMIC which means that it’s spread across the world. It’s causes flu-like symptoms that progress to serious respiratory problems in some people and it has caused major shutdowns across the world. Two of our neighbours, China and Iran have had major epidemics.
The government has announced various measures to control CoronaVirus in Pakistan. They have closed schools and banned large gatherings. The reason? Events around the world have shown this CoronaVirus to be HIGHLY contagious and potentially life threatening. To date, over five thousand people have died and nearly 150,000 have been confirmed to have been infected. The true number of infections may be higher. Most at risk are the elderly – those over 60 get much sicker and those over 80 have a 15% chance of death. People with heart disease, diabetes or immune deficiency also get much sicker than most. Children tend not to get so sick but they spread the virus.
We spoke to Dr Nida Hussain, Associate Professor at Ziauddin Hospital about what steps to take to protect yourself and your family.
“This is what I am currently advising. Take proper precautions both to protect yourself and to prevent widespread infection in the community,
1. Frequent hand washing soap and water is better than sanitiser. Use sanitiser if you can’t wash your hands but try to wash your hands every time you arrive at home or work, before eating and at various times throughout the day.
2. Avoid overcrowded places especially if they are indoors like cinemas , avoid religious gatherings. People who are contagious may not look sick.
3. If you are sick, wear a mask and stay at home preferably away from other members of the house and from any staff.
4. Push government to do more as that’s what will actually stop the spread
5. Be sensible while traveling wear a mask and avoid traveling to places where it’s prevalent in the community.”
We’ve also translated a comic that explains steps to help protect you from CoronaVirus with the help of Weiman Kow in Singapore who wrote the comic.
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Currently the majority of cases identified have been from people who have travelled, particularly from Iran but many countries have seen rapid local community transmission. Take precautions now and avoid social interactions as much as possible to help protect everyone here in Pakistan. May Allah protect us all.
