GUJRAT: A woman recovered from coronavirus and was discharged from the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH) after her second consecutive report was tested negative on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad told Dawn that the woman who had been tested positive for the virus on March 27 last was the first patient to have recovered from the virus in the district. The patient, he said, had been tested negative first on April 3 and then on Tuesday after which she was discharged from the hospital as per the protocols of such patients.

The district is the second worst hit districts of Punjab after Lahore. Earlier, a wholesale dealer of medicines, had died of the virus on Saturday.

The test of four other infected persons, including that of the ABSTH deputy medical superintendent, had been tested negative.

However, the health authorities say the Covid-19 patients have to be tested negative twice within a period of seven days to be declared as recovered patients.

Meanwhile, the number of infected patients in Gujrat has reached 110 with the addition of five more patients on Tuesday whereas 486 suspected patients have also been tested negative and result of 211 is awaited.

It has been observed that the locals have started moving on the city roads during the last couple of days causing a concern among the authorities about the lockdown situation. Youngsters riding motorbikes are seen violating the pillion riding ban on the streets and roads of the city.

The local administration issued another warning on Tuesday to the citizens to not unnecessarily come out of the houses since the crucial time of the pandemic is still not over.

MIANWALI: Nine positive Covid-19 cases surfaced in Mianwali on Tuesday taking the toll to 16 in the district.

Deputy District Health Officer Dr Rafique Khan told Dawn a couple of days ago, 15 members of Tableeghi Jamaat had been quarantined for they had attended the burial of one of their activists, who died from Covid-19 complications, in Isakhel a few days ago.

Of them, seven have tested positive for Covid-19. They have been lodged in an isolation ward at the Kalabagh Tehsil Headquarters.

Dr Khan said two females, who had returned from Iran recently, also tested positive for coronavirus. They along with other pilgrims also spent days at Taftan and Multan isolation camps and tested negative.

They arrived in Mianwali a couple of days ago. Their fresh test reports were positive. They have been admitted to the Mianwali District Headquarters Hospital.

BAHAWALNAGAR: The number of coronavirus cases in the district on Tuesday increased to 14 with seven new cases belonging to the Tableeghi Jammat and the eighth is a three-year-old girl.

According to the tally released by the Health Department, one member of each of the groups of the Tableeghi Jamaat staying in five mosques in Minchinabad have tested positive for Covid-19.

Similarly, two Tableeghi groups staying in Donga Bonga and Fort Abbas have one positive case each.

The three-year-old girl is from Chishtian and she belongs to the family in which a woman and her daughter have previously tested positive.

LODHRAN: Three pilgrims have tested positive for Covid-19 in Lodhran. The district has now five cases in all.

Focal person Rashid Sattar Gujjar said 33 pilgrims returning from Iran were shifted to Lodhran from the Multan quarantine centre on Sunday. Of them, four were tested.

GUJRANWALA: Up to 35 coronavirus positive cases were reported in Gujranwala division on Tuesday.

Commissioner Gulzar Hussain Shah said more than 2,000 people with coronavirus symptoms were under observation, while 191 have been declared positive cases.

He feared a spike in positive cases because of people’s tendency to violate lockdown.

He said deputy commissioners had been directed to take bold steps on the enforcement of lockdown code.

CHINIOT: With two fresh cases, the district has now eight Covid-19 positive cases in all.

The district administration has sealed four villages on the orders of Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Riaz. The villages include Tahirabad, Mauza Hersa Bulha, Razanagar and Mohallah Jamia Masjid Bhowana.

The police are manning entry and exit points under section2(3)-a of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1958; Section-3 of Punjab National Calamity (Prevention and Relief) Act 1958; and Section-9 of Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance, 2020.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Two positive cases have been confirmed here.

District Officer (health) Dr Muhammad Kashif Bajwa told reporters the cases included a 50-year-old man of New Islampura locality of Toba Tek Singh who had recently come Pakistan from Saudi Arabia and the other is a 18-year old of Pirmahal village, Chak 325-GB.

SHEIKHUPURA: Of the 18 pilgrims quarantined in the Postgraduate Women College, eight tested positive on Tuesday.

According to reports, pilgrims had recently come to Sheikhupura from Tiftan boarder via Multan.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2020