ISLAMABAD: Five people lost their lives to Covid-19 in Rawalpindi while three more educational institutions were sealed in the capital after emergence of eight positive cases on Tuesday.

Around 61 people in Rawalpindi were also found having the virus.

At present, there are 2,000 active cases in Islamabad with an average weekly positivity rate of 4pc.

Abdul Rauf, 75, a resident of Dhoke Kashmirian, was brought to Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) on March 1 where he died on Tuesday.

Arshad Khan, 54, from Waris Khan, also died at RIU where he was shifted to on March 8. Shabbir Qamar, 63, a resident of Mohallah Kot Syedan Gujar Khan, arrived at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on March 8 where he breathed his last while Gul Bibi, 80, also from Gujar Khan, died at Pims where she was admitted to on March 8.

Abdul Waheed, 66, a resident of Lalarukh Colony Wah Cantonment, was shifted to Kulsum International Hospital on March 8 where he succumbed to the virus.

Talking to Dawn, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said contacts of the eight patients who tested positive in the institutions were being traced.

Five fall victim to Covid-19 in Pindi; positivity rate in Islamabad recorded at 4pc

Three cases each surfaced in Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) I-9/1 and Beaconhouse Metropolitan Campus G-11/3 while two cases were detected in Islamabad College for Girls (ICG), F-6/2.

A separate notification issued from the DHO’s office stated that it was hereby advised to immediately close down the premises for a period till further intimation and thorough disinfection activities be conducted as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination. Furthermore, Covid-19 testing of all the exposed staff and students must be performed and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) ensured.

All close contacts of the cases must be quarantined for a period of 14 days, the notification added.

Dr Zia said the District Health Office was collecting samples randomly and tracing contacts of positive cases from two to three educational institutions on daily basis.

He said the situation regarding spread of Covid-19 was serious and the number of positive cases was increasing.

He said: “Sealing of residential areas and closure of a few activities is also under discussion.”

However, the decision will be made if the positivity rate increases further by 2pc, he said, adding that the virus was spreading in some rural areas along with other sectors.

A strategy is being devised to evaluate the situation and take necessary steps.

Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi district there are 482 active patients out of which 120 were in hospitals and 35 were from other districts. Around 362 patients are isolated in their homes and 446 patients are waiting for their coronavirus serology results.

Out of the patients admitted to hospitals, 46 belonged to city and cantonment areas, six arrived from Gujar Khan, four from Kahuta, three from Taxila and one patient was from Murree.

As many as 15 patients are admitted to Holy Family Hospital (HFH), 14 were under treatment in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 34 in RIU, 19 in Fauji Foundation Hospital, three in Hearts International Hospital and five patients were in Red Crescent Corona Care Hospital.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that 10 patients were on ventilators, 49 on oxygen support and 31 were stable.

He said on the directives of the federal government, arrangements had been made by the District Health Authority to vaccinate people over 60 years who would be called for vaccination.

Around 18,249 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since March 2020 including 14,713 in Rawalpindi (13,424 people belonged to the district and 1,289 were from outside), 1332 in Attock (1,301 from the district and 31 from outside the district), 1551 in Jhelum and 653 in Chakwal.

He said 16,831 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery in the four districts including 13,573 in Rawalpindi (12,319 from the district and 1,254 from outside the district), 1263 in Attock (1,252 from the district and 31 from outside), 1436 in Jhelum and 562 in Chakwal.

Around 803 people died after contracting the virus in Rawalpindi Division including 658 in Rawalpindi, 27 in Attock, 42 in Jhelum and 71 in Chakwal.

Attock

The district on Monday witnessed another spike in Covid-19 cases as 15 patients were detected during the last 24 hours. District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Jawad Elahi said five of the new patients belong to Hazro, seven were from Attock city and three from Hassanabdal.

The number of active patients in the district is 42 out of whom 40 are home isolated while two are hospitalised, he said, adding that the number of suspected patients in the district since the beginning of the pandemic now stood at 26,509 while screening of 29,761 people had been carried out across the district out of which which 25,111 tested negative.

Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2021