LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has assured that there is no need for people to panic as there is enough capacity in hospitals to deal with COVID-19 patients.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, she said that 42 percent of ventilators and 63.2 percent of intensive care unit beds are currently occupied. However, she said that patients cannot go to any hospital and should inquiring about bed availability
She added that the Punjab government would soon launch patient information desks in all hospitals so the relatives of admitted patients could be kept updated about their condition.
She said the coronavirus cases in Punjab were rising and there were 19,000 cases in Lahore alone. She claimed that Punjab was conducting the largest number of tests and all information regarding the outbreak was available.
The Punjab Health Minister has said that a trial of potential anti-viral Remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment comprising 1,000 participants will start in the province soon.
“We will decide based on the results if this drug should be made a part of the standard practice or not. The drug is controlled at the moment, it is not even sold by the company in the open market,” she said.
She advised people against using herbal medicines to treat the coronavirus as it might have side effects. She added that Actemra drug was showing promising results on many patients but was not a life-saving drug.
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