Karachi’s top municipal hospital hit hard by COVID-19 as 10 infected in a day

KARACHI: One of the biggest municipal hospitals in Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), was hit hard by COVID-19 on Saturday after at least 10 people including medics and patients contracted the virus, forcing an immediate shutdown of some of the departments, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources having knowledge of the matter, as many as 10 people got infected from COVID-19 during the last 24 hours at the ASH including six doctors, three patients, and a cleaner.

“The cleaner, Jawed Masih, has lost his life owing to the COVID-19 today,” they said adding that he was already suffering from a lung-related issue.

“Three departments of the hospital have suffered from the pandemic mainly and one of them is closed down completely,” the sources in the hospital said adding that the ultrasound section has suffered from the infection and was closed after one of the doctors serving there has contracted the virus.

They said that a doctor from the plastic surgery department has also contracted the virus while patients from the department are shifted to the urology department after detection of a case from there.

The sources privy to the details said that there was no implementation on COVID-19 SOPs at the hospital’s premises.

It is pertinent to mention here that local administration in Karachi has already imposed smart and micro lockdowns in parts of the city today as COVID-19 cases witnessed a spike, indicating a second wave of the virus.

According to details, the smart and micro lockdowns have been imposed in Central, West, South and Korangi districts of the city.