ISLAMABAD: G-9 alone reported 17 cases of Covid-19 on Sunday while three more educational institutions were sealed after people there tested positive for Covid-19.

There were 152 cases reported in the city overall, out of 4,271 tests carried out on Oct 31.

“So far, 69 educational institutions have been sealed in the capital and some have been sealed more than once,” District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia told Dawn.

He said three schools were sealed on Sunday, including the Islamabad Model School for Girls in G-9/1, where two cases of Covid-19 were detected.

Dr Zia said the other two institutions belong to the armed forces but declined to name them.

There were 17 cases of Covid-19 reported from G-9, followed by 15 from I-8, 12 each from G-11 and DHA II and 10 from G-6.

“Section 144 on masks is now applicable to enclosed public spaces (offices, public transport, hospitals, restaurants, shops etc). It is not applicable inside houses, cars, open areas, parks. However, it is advised to practice extreme vigilance as Covid-19 is on the rise in Islamabad,” Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat stated on Twitter.

Three educational institutions sealed

He said individuals will be fined Rs4,300 for violating standard operating procedure.

So far, four people have been arrested, 117 inspections carried out and shops fined Rs21,500, he said. In addition, 10 mosques, 14 wedding halls and 25 restaurants have been checked and a restaurant has been sealed.

October has seen a drastic increase in Covid-19 cases in Islamabad, according to daily data. There were 39 cases reported on Oct 1, and 23 on Oct 4. However, by Oct 8, 113 cases were reported in the city, rising to 155 by Oct 14.

There were 186 cases reported on Oct 23, and the last day of the month reported 224 cases.

There are 1,538 active cases of Covid-19 in the capital. So far, 91pc of patients have recovered and 222 patients have died. In all, 19,970 cases have been reported in the city.

Meanwhile, the reopening of Islamabad educational institutions sealed after the detection of Covid-19 appears uncertain.

The Islamabad Model College for Boys in G-10/4 was sealed on Oct 16, and the capital administration issued a notification stating it would reopen on Oct 24. However, the college has yet to be unsealed.

The college’s focal person, Associate Professor Mohammad Riaz Anjum, told Dawn that although it was decided that the college would open on Oct 24, he was not aware of when it would reopen.

“I had a meeting with the principal on Saturday, but we are not aware of when the school will be opened,” he said.

Rawalpindi

Two people died and 41 tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, while 32 patients recovered from the disease.

A 70-year-old resident of Rehmatabad in Chaklala was brought to the Fauji Foundation Hospital on Oct 31, where he died Sunday morning. A 56-year-old resident of Dhoke Paracha was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Oct 27 and died late Saturday night.

Rawalpindi district has reported 7,678 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the last eight months, with 322 deaths and 7,078 recoveries.

There are currently 41 patients admitted to HFH, of which 14 are from outside the district. Another 237 patients are isolated in their homes and are being visited by health authority officials in selected areas.

There are 484 suspected patients awaiting the results of their Covid-19 tests.

Local administrations have kept 730 people in quarantine.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said 9,149 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since March, including 7,678 in Rawalpindi, 656 in Attock, 517 in Jhelum and 298 in Chakwal.

A total 391 people have died - 322 in Rawalpindi, 39 in Chakwal, 21 in Attock and nine in Jhelum - and 8,456 have recovered - 7,078 in Rawalpindi, 625 in Attock, 494 in Jhelum and 259 in Chakwal.

Mr Mehmood said 41 patients from all four districts have been hospitalised - all of them at HFH.

“There are a total of 261 patients in the four districts isolated in their homes, including 237 in Rawalpindi, 10 in Attock and 14 in Jhelum, while no patient is isolated at home in Chakwal,” he said.

He added that hospitals in the four districts can accommodate up to 5,445 patients at a time; there are four high dependency units at hospitals in the districts with 37 beds.

The commissioner said teams have been told to carry out more tests and ensure standard operating procedure is implemented. People should wear masks when leaving their homes, he added.

Taxila

A total 14 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Taxila, including three officials from Rescue 15.

Health officials said this was the single largest increase in cases reported in one day in the new wave of Covid-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 555.

A report issued by the local health department said 10 of the patients were contacts of previously confirmed patients.

Deputy District Officer Health Dr Sara Qadeer said three of the patients are Rescue 15 officials who tested positive after a colleague of their was previously diagnosed with the disease. Five other patients contracted the disease from a doctor who has already tested positive.

Attock

Two people tested positive for Covid-19 in Attock, bringing the tally there to 656.

District focal person on Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said there are 10 active cases in the district, all under home isolation. — Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2020