ISLAMABAD: All indicators related to Covid-19 are showing positive signs as the capital has reported the lowest weekly positivity ratio of the current year — a tenfold reduction in cases in two months.

As many as 37 patients were found infected by the virus on Sunday. According to a graph revealed by district health authorities, the positivity rate was 10pc in the second half of April (19 to 25) with 3,425 cases being reported in the entire week. In the last week of May, the number of patients fell to 804, with the positivity ratio recorded at 2.4pc.

However from June 21 to 27, the infection rate was down to 0.9pc with 221 cases surfacing.

District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia, while talking to Dawn, said: “We are proud of residents of the federal capital, who have been showing responsibility by getting themselves and their loved ones vaccinated; because of this trend, Islamabad is on top and we are hoping that we will achieve herd immunity in a couple of months.”

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has expanded its recently launched mobile vaccination campaign launched in collaboration with the Islamabad Capital Territory administration and the drive is in full swing.

District health officer optimistic about achieving herd immunity in few months

The PRCS has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the department of health (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) for the Corona-Free Kashmir Initiative, under which eligible persons will be inoculated through mobile vaccination units in different districts of the region.

In another development, PRCS in collaboration with the Sindh health department and National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has opened two mobile Covid-19 vaccination units in Karachi at Dolmen Mall and Lucky One Mall.

In a statement on the occasion, PRCS Chairman Abrarul Haq said the fight against Covid-19 had entered a decisive phase as fresh cases were declining due to stringent enforcement of safety guidelines by the government, coupled with public cooperation and a robust vaccination drive.

He said the third wave of the virus was dangerous, more contagious and deadlier compared to the first two spells. However the positivity ratio is now going down with each passing day, he said, adding that life had started returning to normal in most parts of the country.

Mr Haq urged people to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest as walk-in facility was open for every individual eligible for vaccination. He asked people to strictly follow health and safety guidelines so that the virus could be defeated.

In another development, the director general of Directorate of Health Services Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) Dr Hasan Orooj and Islamabad Health Regulatory Authority Chief Executive OfficerDr Qaid Saeed in a meeting agreed that the quality of care would be enhanced manifold in Islamabad.

The heads of both organisations made a commitment towards cooperating and coordinating with each other in a more systematic and organised manner to accomplish objectives of providing quality healthcare in hospitals, labs and healthcare institutions in the capital.

Rawalpindi

After a two-day break, the number of Covid-19 patients rose in Rawalpindi on Sunday as 30 people tested positive. As many as 27 patients were discharged from the hospital after recovery in the last 24 hours. However, no death was reported for a third continuous day.

In Rawalpindi district, there are 181 active patients. As many as 48 patients are in hospitals including five who arrived from other districts and 133 patients are home isolated.

A total of 21 patients arrived from the garrison city - five patients from cantonment and eight each from Potohar and Rawal towns. Three patients arrived from Murree, one patient each from Gujar Khan, Taxila and Kallar Syedan, and one patient each came from Mianwali, Attock and Azad Kashmir.

As many as 11 patients are admitted to Holy Family Hospital, 10 were in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), six in Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) and seven patients in Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH).

One patient is on a ventilator in Rawalpindi, 21 are on oxygen support and 12 are stable.

According to the District Health Authority, 679,012 people in the district have so far been vaccinated including 648,046 residents of the district and 30,966 frontline health workers.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2021