PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday recorded eight more deaths due to Covid-19, taking the total count of province-wide fatalities to 122 as the virus continued to hit health workers at the hospitals.

Seven of the Covid-19 patients passed away in Peshawar and one in Shangla district. Peshawar’s death count reached 70.

According to a daily situation report released by health department on Wednesday, 153 new confirmed cases were diagnosed positive for coronavirus during the last 24 hours, making overall number of patients afflicted with Covid-19 to 2,313 in the province so far.

It said that number of healed patients from the pandemic reached 614 with the recovery 52 new patients. Of the new cases, 71 were recorded in Peshawar and 18 in Mardan as health workers continued to test positive for Covid-19 at the city’s hospitals, catering to bulk of the patients infected with coronavirus.

Lady Reading Hospital, which has recorded 79 expiries from the pandemic since March 17, is becoming source of infection for the staffers, who have started fearing for their lives. Out of the total deaths, 55 are men (70 per cent), 24 are women (30 per cent) and 50 (63 per cent) belong to Peshawar district.

The hospital is currently home to 50 Covid-19 patients.

KP records eight more deaths, 153 new confirmed cases

During last few days, 11 health workers, including two trainee medical officers (TMOs) of Gynae A ward, as many in Gynae B, four TMOs in Gynae C along with two staff nurses and one midwife have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

Doctors in gynaecology department have asked the administration to adhere to the infection control protocols, otherwise, situation could go Italy’s way where health workers inadvertently spread virus to patients and their communities and near and dear ones.

In Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), where the first major fatality of Pakistan occurred in the shape of death of Prof Mohammad Javaid due to Covid-19 last week, health workers are getting infected with the virus and the calls for provision of personal protective equipments (PPEs) to all the staff members are gaining momentum.

The hospital has already recorded 20 deaths from the pandemic and continues to receive asymptomatic patients round-the-clock.

Khyber Teaching Hospital is no exception where staff is busy in dealing with patients at the triage established outside the premises to filter people with Covid-19-like symptoms. The facility has recorded seven deaths and more than 12 of its staffers have got infection.

The situation in other hospitals in the province is same as district health officer (DHO) and drug inspector of Nowshera, two Class-IV employees and medical superintendent of Mian Rashid Hussain Shaheed Hospital Pabbi tested positive on Wednesday.

Provincial Doctors Association spokesman Dr Salim Khan expressed concerns over the rapid spread of infection among health workers and feared that healthcare providers could become source of transmitting the virus to their colleagues in hospitals and to their relatives in their native villages.

“It is very alarming situation and needs immediate measure including stoppage of services at the gynae wards of LRH and sending all its staffers to quarantine,” he said.

All the health professionals, regardless of their duty places, should be provide with proper personal protective equipments (PPEs) to safeguard them against the infection, said Dr Salim.

Our correspondent from Nowshera adds: The district health officer (DHO) along with five others officials of district health department tested positive for Covid-19.

According to officials, DHO Dr Gulman Shah, Mian Rashid Shaheed Memorail Hospital Pabbi medical superintendent Dr Ijaz Akbar, senior radiologist at Qazi Medical Complex Dr Mohammad Nabi, district drug inspector Khushal Khan, computer operator Zahoor Khan and Class-IV employee Ajid tested positive for Covid-19.

Our correspondent from Swabi adds: Ten of the 13 passengers, who reached here on Wednesday from United Arabs Emirate, were coronavirus patients and three of them, whose test results were awaited, were quarantines, Deputy Commissioner Shahid Mehmood told Dawn.

He said that none of them was allowed to meet relatives or go home. He said that all of were shifted to the special ward established for coronavirus patients in civil hospital, Chota Lahor.

Our correspondent from Charsadda adds: A Covid-19 patient, who died in Pims Islamabad, was laid to rest at Akhund Zaffar Baba graveyard in Shabqadar Haleemzai on Wednesday.

The deceased had been residing in Rawalpindi for the last 15 years. He was admitted to Pims few days ago. He was buried under the SPOs set for burial of victims of Covid-19 victims.

Our correspondent from Upper Dir adds: First-ever death due to Covid-19 was reported in the district after a 70-year-old patient belonging to Jakol area of Sheringal tehsil passed away on Wednesday.

He was admitted to the isolation centre of district headquarters hospital.

Our correspondent from Shangla adds: An elderly resident of Chakesar Langbar died of Covid-19 in Swat.

Deputy Commissioner Imran Hussain Ranjha said that the patient was tested positive on April 14 in Swat hospital. He had given a written statement to health department in Swat for home isolation in his village. However, he died of the virus on Wednesday and was buried under the SOPs.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2020