QUETTA: One year has passed since the first case of coronavirus was reported in Balochistan on March 10 last year and during this period about 90 per cent staff members of the Corona Operation Cell, who are providing treatment to Covid-19 patients, were themselves infected by the virus.

This was recalled by Dr Sarmad Saeed Khan, head of the Corona Operation Cell, while speaking at a programme here on Tuesday.

He paid tribute to doctors, nurses and other health workers, who despite a great danger to their lives, continued performing their duties and fulfilling their responsibilities with determination and devotion.

He said the Corona Operation Cell provided best available medical facilities to Covid-19 patients at hospitals and isolation centres.

“The first Covid-19 patient in Balochistan was a 12-year-old boy who returned from Iran along with his family. Covid-19 symptoms were found in the boy in the isolation centre in Taftan,” Dr Noorullah Musakhail, Medical Superintendent of the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, said.

The boy was admitted to a separate ward of the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital and provided treatment.

Other members of the young patient’s family tested negative for coronavirus.

Earlier, for stopping the spread of Covid-19, the Balochistan government in consultation with a technical committee had closed all schools, colleges and universities in the province.

On March 24 last year, in view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the Balochistan government imposed a complete lockdown in the province.

The lockdown remained inforce in the province till April 7, 2020. It was later further extended.

During the lockdown, all kinds of social and community gatherings and public and private programmes were completely banned. The people were told to stay at homes while the government started using all means to stop the spread of the virus.

The people involved in essential services, such as staff of hospitals, laboratories and medical stores, law enforcement agencies, were exempted from the lockdown.

The virus did not cause much damage in March and April last year, but the first wave of the pandemic began in May when hospitals began to overflow with patients.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021