Islamabad, 4 November 2020: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) warned that Covid-19 would continue to spread in the coming days, and that the nature of the disease this time around was more severe.
The association said precautions need to be taken and political and religious gatherings need to be cancelled.
Shifa Tameer-i-Millat University Vice Chancellor Dr Mohammad Iqbal Khan, PIMA President Dr Iftikhar Burney and Young Doctors Association Islamabad President Dr Fazle Rabbi spoke at a press conference in this regard.
Dr Burney said that Covid-19 cases are increasing rapidly in the country, with an average of 1,000 people testing positive in 24 hours.
He said the disease is more likely to spread due to weather conditions.
`This situation can be dangerous, because people are not taking the disease seriously at the moment,` he said.
He added that all normal activities have resumed and large religious and political gatherings are being held. `The situation is of grave concern to the PIMA and other doctors` organizations,` he said.
He added that many doctors are contracting the disease and some have also died. He said even doctors who have not had direct contact with Covid-19 patients are testing positive, `which indicates the severity of the disease.
Demands by doctors were also presented at the conference. They said masks should be made mandatory and violators should be fined, the working hours of malls and markets should be minimised, and compliance with standard operating procedure should be ensured in public places, educational institutions and mosques.
An uninterrupted supply of personal protective equipment should be ensured for all doctors and medical staff and additional benefits should be provided to staff working in Covid-19 wards.
People should limit travel and must wear masks when going out in case of an emergency, and political and religious parties should cancel their gatherings, they said.
Dr Burney also said that the PIMA Health Line is continuing to provide free medical consultations.
`Anyone can consult a doctor online about their illness from across the country, he said, adding that the lines are open from 9am to 1pm.
