US donates 100 ventilators to Pak to combat COVID-19 pandemic
Islamabad: The US on Thursday provided Pakistan 100 ventilators to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed nearly 6,000 lives and infected over 277,000 people in the country.
The US embassy in Islamabad said in a statement that the shipment was handed over to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority as a symbol of "working together to fight COVID-19".
The ventilators, provided through the US Agency for International Development, arrived in Islamabad on July 28 and will be deployed in hospitals across Pakistan, it said.
"The arrival of these ventilators delivers on President Donald Trump's promise to Prime Minister Imran Khan to stand with the people of Pakistan and bring additional critically needed supplies and support to Pakistan's urgent response to the pandemic," the embassy said.
The first batch of 100 ventilators had arrived on July 3 and have already been delivered to hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout Pakistan.
"The United States is a proud partner with the Government of Pakistan to help stem the tide of this deadly pandemic and these ventilators will help with that fight," US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul W Jones said.
The ventilators can also be used to provide non-invasive respiratory therapy for patients before they become critically ill and help avoid the need for more extreme care. They can help treat a number of other respiratory ailments outside of the COVID-19 virus, including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Through a specialized training program developed with the National Disaster Management Authority and the Federal and Provincial Ministries of Health, and with funding from USAID, Pakistan will have a stronger arsenal with which to fight COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, said the embassy.
It said that the US-Pakistan partnership in the health sector was strengthening the country's ability to fight coronavirus by improving and expanding laboratory testing, disease monitoring, case tracking, infection prevention and control, and patient care.
The United States is contributing more than USD 28 million in new funding so far for COVID-19 response to this vital partnership that is growing every day, the embassy said.
A ventilator takes over the body's breathing process when the disease has caused the lungs to fail. This gives the patient time to fight off the infection and recover.
Pakistan's coronavirus tally reached 277,402 with the detection of 1,114 new cases, with the nationwide death toll standing at 5,924, the Ministry of National Health Services said on Thursday.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
