Chinese doctors visiting Lahore urge extension of lockdown in Punjab by 28 days

The Chinese doctors visting Lahore urged the provincial government of Punjab to extend the current lockdown for another 28 days to save it from the havoc that COVID-19 can cause.

Dr Maming Hoi, who headed the Chinese delegation, told Dawn it is a myth that the coronavirus would fade away with the advent of summer, and added that "the possibility of spread of the disease in hot weather cannot be ruled out and ignored".

The doctors warned the provincial authorities that the lethal infection may cause havoc and therefore, restrictions put in place as per government orders should only be lifted while taking the prevailing conditions into account.

The doctors reiterated that social distancing could play an important role to save people from the coronavirus. They also advised the government that it would be more appropriate that coronavirus patients are admitted to a hospital or kept at quarantine centres instead of keeping them at home.

In addition, the doctors stressed that the use of plasma had proved to be beneficial in saving lives of the patients suffering from adverse conditions. They also said that the use of three anti-viral medicines for the affected patients had proved to be curative and effective.

An eight-member delegation of the doctors from China arrived in Pakistan last week at the request of the Punjab government to help local medics in the diagnosis of the virus and patient management to minimise the mortality rate.

According to local media reports, the rise in the tally of active cases related to COVID-19 infection has subsided in the Chinese mainland and therefore, the country has been promising to help other countries, especially those whose economies have been severely affected by the ongoing crisis.

Pakistan has so far registered 3,278 COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths.