Lahore’s Camp Jail has been vacated and turned into a 100-bed quarantine centre after at least 58 prisoners tested positive for the new coronavirus — COVID-19. But who is the mysterious patient zero and how did he contract the virus before passing it on to such a large number of inmates in just 20 days?
According to The News, a total of 490 prisoners were exposed to patient zero who developed COVID-19 symptoms back on March 18. He complained of fever to the jail authorities and upon testing, his test result for the virus came positive. Following this, three other prisoners who were close to him also tested positive. The jail authorities then asked for tests of other inmates locked up in the same barracks as the patients, and initially, 19 other’s coronavirus tests also came positive.
As the matter was looked into, the prison authorities realised that 490 inmates imprisoned in nearby barracks were also exposed to the mysterious patient zero. With it taking them 20 days to decide on vacating the jail, 58 of the said inmates tested positive for COVID-19.
But who is patient zero?
According to authorities, patient zero is a Pakistani-Italian who came to Pakistan in December 2019. On March 8, 2018, he was going back to Italy when the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) found on him six kilograms of heroin. With the drugs being seized, he was arrested and sent to Camp Jail.
Authorities claim that his family is a frequent traveler and that was how he contracted the virus. “His family had also recently traveled from Italy and patient zero developed COVID-19 symptoms 10 days after his imprisonment,” they said.
Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Musarrat Cheema confirmed that Camp Jail had been vacated and converted into a 100-bed quarantine center.
“There are more than 2,700 prisoners in Camp Jail. The Punjab government has converted the jail into a 100-bed quarantine centre for prisoners. A medical team of Services Hospital has also been assigned to look after this quarantine centre,” she informed, adding that a total of 490 prisoners were exposed to the patient at the jail.
“Initially, the tests of 19 prisoners came positive and they were quarantined there. But as of April 9, the number of COVID-19 positive prisoners has reached 58. The remaining prisoners are being shifted to other cities, including Lodhran and Hafizabad. So far, 1,100 prisoners have been shifted to Hafizabad, 258 have been sent to Lodhran whereas the rest of the prisoners are being shifted to other jails across the province. There will be no prisoner in Camp Jail from today [Friday] onwards.”
