TAXILA: Three people tested positive for Covid-19 in Attock and two in Taxila on Sunday.

Health officials said all five were local transmission cases, and were reported from Fatehjang city in Attock and Pind Gondal and Usman Khattar in Taxila.

Attock district’s focal person for Covid-19, Dr Asif Arbab Niazi, told the press that the three patients in Fatehjang city contracted the disease from their relative - who has already tested positive and is receiving treatment at a public sector hospital.

He said nine patients have recovered from the disease so far, and that there are 67 people quarantined in 14 different facilities in the district.

There are 37 people quarantined in Hassanabdal, 18 in Attock city and six in Hazro, he said.

Dr Niazi said 73 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat have been tested for Covid-19, of which six came back positive, 67 negative and 12 results are awaited.

A total of 283 Tableeghi Jamaat members were sent home after they werescreenedandcompleted the quarantine period, while 12 remain in quarantine.

Executive District Officer Health Dr Sohail Ijaz toldDawn that the district health department has an adequate stock of personal protective equipment, as well as facilities for patients, doctors and paramedical staff.

He said they currently have 2,802 N-95 masks, 4,220 gowns, 869 pairs of goggles, 14,321 pairs of shoe covers and 1,364 virus collection swab kits.

Meanwhile, two people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Taxila, bringing the total number of confirmed patients in the tehsil to 23.

Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Faheem said both cases were of local transmission and that one of the patients is the daughter of a Covid-19 patient who died on Friday.

He said 15 relatives of the deceased were tested, of which one was diagnosed with Covid-19. “She was picked up by the Corona Task Force and evacuated to Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi for treatment,” he added.

The other patient is the relative of a woman from Usman Khattar who was diagnosed with Covid-19 on April 21. She tested positive on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2020