ISLAMABAD – Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Sunday said the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) had identified 92 hotspots in 20 cities which cover 40 percent of all active cases of COVID-19 and lockdown in these areas would affect only three percent of total population of the country.
Addressing a media briefing here at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the minister said effective hotspot lockdown could make a decisive difference.
He said by imposing lockdown in selective areas, substantial impact on disease spread could be achieved while minimizing disruption in livelihood of citizens.
Asad Umar, who also leads NCOC on corona virus, said in order to cope with increasing pressure on hospitals with oxygen beds, the Federal government had decided to provide 1000 beds to various hospitals across the country by end of the current month, while 1100 more beds by the end July 2020.
He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal had visited all big cities across the country to identify the requirement of oxygen beds and NCOC had already given go ahead to NDMA for provision of beds to different hospitals.
Giving details about provision of beds in Islamabad, the minister informed that within a week, the three hospitals of the federal capital would get 189 beds in total out of which 20 beds had already been provided to Capital Development Authority (CDA) hospital and 39 more would be provided in few days.
Similarly, he said 13 beds were provided to Polyclinic hospital and 40 beds would be provided to PIMS in a couple of days, 52 more beds would be provided on Wednesday and 25 beds would be provided to PIMS on Thursday.
