RAWALPINDI: More than 100 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Rawalpindi district on Sunday and five patients died of the disease.

The district administration also sealed 45 shops in the downtown area and fined owners Rs54,000 while 11 were issued warnings for violating standard operating procedures (SOP) to limit the spread of the coronavirus. All markets are supposed to be closed on weekends.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the number of patients will be reduced if people take precautions as advised by health experts. He said the government has issued SOPs for markets and workplaces to protect people from the coronavirus.

Civic bodies have been asked to disinfect all public places, particularly sealed streets and areas around patients’ homes.

Mr Mehmood said violations of SOPs will not be tolerated in the division, which was why on Sunday 45 shops were sealed in Rawalpindi district, 22 were sealed in Chakwal, 12 were sealed in Jhelum and six were sealed in Attock. A total Rs103,000 in fines were imposed in the four districts.

Number of cases will reduce if people take precautions as advised by health experts, says commissioner

Also on Sunday, 104 people were diagnosed with Covid-19 and five patients died. No recoveries were reported.

A 40-year-old woman who lived in Dhoke Khabba died at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) late on Saturday, while a 42-year-old man who lived in Dhoke Syedan died at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Sunday.

A 67-year-old man who lived in Mohammah Jhamra died at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) and a 52-year-old woman who lived in Chanoor, Kahuta, died at the Rawalpindi District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

A 46-year-old man who lived in Mohallah Markazi Jamia Masjid died at the Kahuta Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital late on Saturday.

There have now been 3,336 reported cases of Covid-19 in Rawalpindi district, with 125 deaths and 1,945 recoveries. At present, 402 patients are being treated at RIU, HFH and BBH and 864 are isolated at home.

Another 1,824 suspected patients have also been admitted to RIU, HFH, BBH and DHQ Hospital and 702 people are awaiting the results of Covid-19 tests.

Rawalpindi district has reported a far higher number of cases since the coronavirus outbreak began, while neighbouring Jhelum has reported 328, Attock has reported 295 patients and Chakwal has reported 92.

A total of 125 people have died in Rawalpindi, while 15 have died in Chakwal, eight in Attock and six in Jhelum.

There have also been 22 passengers diagnosed with Covid-19 and quarantined in the district, while 224 are awaiting test results and 1,963 were allowed to go home after testing negative.

More cases in Attock, Taxila

Attock has now reported 295 cases of Covid-19 after nine more patients were diagnosed in the district in the last 24 hours.

The district’s focal person for Covid-19, Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, said that four of the new patients are from the city area and five are from Hazro tehsil. He said they all contracted the disease through local transmission and have no history of travel.

He said that 360 people are still awaiting test results.

Dr Niazi added that 11 patients are being treated in various health centres and one patient is critical, while 161 patients are isolated at home and one is isolated in a quarantine facility.

Five people in Taxila also tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the total number of cases there to 280.

Deputy District Officer Health Dr Sara Qadeer said that none of the new patients are connected to previously confirmed patients. They are all under home isolation.

However, health department data has revealed an encouraging number of recoveries, as 83 people have recovered from Covid-19 in Attock and 72 have recovered in Taxila.

The recovered patients include migrant workers from the United Arab Emirates, pilgrims who visited Iran and members of the Tableeghi Jamaat.

Dr Asad Ismail, the district health officer preventive services, said the recovery rate of Covid-19 patients is encouraging and that patients at all hospitals and quarantine centres are being provided healthcare facilities.

Four dead in Gujar Khan

Four people from Gujar Khan and Jhelum district died of Covid-19 and 10 tested positive in Jhelum on Sunday.

A resident of Jhanda who was diagnosed with the disease a few weeks ago and was being treated at a private hospital in Rawalpindi died and his residence was sealed. Three other patients also died in Jhelum district.

In addition, 10 more people in Jhelum tested positive for Covid-19.

Jhelum Health CEO Dr Waseem Iqbal said 238 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the district so far while 283 recovered completelyand 36 are still receiving treatment. Four people are admitted to the Jhelum DHQ Hospital, five to the Pind Dadan Khan THQ Hospital and 27 are isolated in their homes. In addition, 18 people have died of the disease so far.

— Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal and Hamid Asghar

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2020