The Sindh government proposed to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) on Thursday that passengers arriving from China be tested for COVID-19 at airports throughout the country.
The NCOC also voted on Thursday to boost disinfection and employ sanitizers at airports, as well as to do genome sequencing on positive cases to detect viral variations.
The Sindh Health Department stated in the letter dated 29 December that COVID cases and fatalities were resurging worldwide, while a new variant had also appeared. In this regard, it made certain suggestions and asked the NCOC to issue a public alert.
The provincial government proposed testing all passengers on airplanes from China for COVID-19 at airports. If the findings are positive, the person should be isolated until they test negative for contagion.
In addition, serology testing on confirmed positive patients should be performed. A large number of false negative cases of the newer COVID-19 variants have also been reported, thus anyone experiencing symptoms related to the virus should be isolated and tested for confirmation using PCR.
The provincial health department proposed that Pfizer booster doses be administered to anyone who was vaccinated six months ago, particularly those over the age of 65.
Separately, at a press briefing, Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho urged citizens to take preventive steps, including wearing masks in public areas.
The minister asserted that her department is prepared to deal with the problem.
