PESHAWAR: Eighteen more people died of Covid-19 and 476 new cases were detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as positivity rate for the virus swelled to 16.4 per cent in Peshawar and 13.4 per cent in Abbottabad on Tuesday.

Mortalities due to the pandemic reported in the province stand at 4,588 including three children from three to 10 years of age, 24 others between 11 to 20 years and 66 from 21 to 30 years. According to health department report, 11 more persons passed away due to the virus in Peshawar which took its total fatalities to 2,217, the highest number reported by any district in the province.

The provincial capital, the epicentre of the virus, has 16.4 per cent infectivity level. It is also home to 2,172 active cases of the overall 6,164 cases reported in the province. Among the active patients, 110 are in the age group of 1 to10 years and 801 in 11 to 20 years while 1,631 are in the age group of 21 to 30 years. The total active patients include 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females.

Abbottabad with 13.4 per cent positive rate for coronavirus recorded two more deaths, making its total count of mortalities 291. Dera Ismail Khan registered three deaths while one person each passed away in Swat and Kohat.

18 more deaths and 476 new cases registered in KP

The total number of Covid-19 patients in the province surged to 149,532 with Peshawar having 181 cases, making its tally 55,106. Mansehra reported 41 new patients, Mardan 35, Upper Chitral 29, Abbottabad and Lower Chitral 25 each, Kohat 23, Swabi and Nowshera 22 each, Swat 21 and Bannu and Haripur reported 11 cases each.

Of the province-wide infected people, 138,780 (92 per cent) including 654 reported during the last 24 hours have recovered. The health department conducted 9,580 Covid-19 tests of the suspected patients in the province.

According to the report, the people tested positive for the virus include 66 per cent males and 36 per cent females. It said that of the total deceased persons, 61 per cent were males and 39 per cent were females.

A report of World Health Organisation said that the province registered 30,314 cases and 947 deaths in April, 14,409 cases and 769 deaths in May, 5,246 cases and 241 deaths in June and 6,030 cases and 141 deaths in July while 4792 infections and 108 deaths were recorded so far in August.

The government has allocated a total 2,385 beds for Covid-19 patients in the hospitals of the province while the number of admitted patients is 1,151 currently. Of them, 51 are in critical condition and on ventilators in government and private health facilities. Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Dera Ismail Khan and Abbottabad have more than four per cent case fatality rate (CFR).

The report said that bed occupancy in Peshawar was 40 per cent, in Abbottabad 69 per cent, in Swat 42 per cent, in Swabi 30 per cent, in Mardan 14 per cent and in Nowshera 17 per cent.

The health officials said that vaccination was in progress throughout the province but the district administrations had bigger role in enforcement of the standard operating procedures.

“The government has also banned indoor weddings and all sorts of gatherings in Peshawar and Abbottabad cities due to high prevalence of coronavirus but we want its full implementation,” they said. They added that a mechanism should be put in place to follow the Covid-19 precautions in markets, buses and government offices.

The health department has already invoked public health emergency law, which empowers the administration to take strict action against the violators of the preventive measures. The province has already registered several case of Delta variant of the virus, which has higher rates of mortalities and infections.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2021