ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: As many as 271 confirmed cases and three deaths from Covid-19 were reported in Islamabad and 97 positive cases and two deaths in Rawalpindi during the last three days.

Till Saturday, the tally of deaths and confirmed cases in the capital was 14 and 1457, which on Tuesday rose to 17 and 1728, respectively.

The positive cases in the capital were reported at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), CDA Hospital, Rawal Hospital, Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital, National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Police Lines Headquarters.

So far, 14 officials of the capital police have contracted the virus - four officials each from the operations division, Special Branch, two from Counter-Terrorist Department, one from the headquarters and three from the Central Police Office.

Doctors and police officials among confirmed patients in capital

All these police officials have been isolated at Pims and Polyclinic.

Three Covid-19 patients died during the Eid holidays and they were residents of G-10, G-15 and G-7.

So far, 63 people have died of the virus in different hospitals of the capital and 50 of them were residents of other districts.

Six of the deceased were from the age group of 60-69, four from 80-89, two each from 30-39, 40-49 and 70-79 and one from 50-59, the officials said.

Pims Joint Executive Director Dr Minajhus Siraj said two patients died on Sunday while another on Tuesday. The patient who died on Tuesday was a resident of Rawalpindi and brought to the hospital 10 days ago. He was 85 years old, he added.

During the holidays, four doctors of the neurology department and a technician of the nephrology department of Pims also tested positive, he said, adding the doctors were isolated at their houses while the technician was kept at the isolation ward as his condition was critical.

The isolation ward at Pims is full as all the 30 beds available there are occupied, Dr Siraj said. Out of the total, eight patients were on ventilators.

He said 50 beds were also available at the private ward and 12 patients were kept there. During the last 24 hours, 142 people with coronavirus symptoms were checked at the filter clinic of the hospital.

Samples of the suspects were sent to the NIH for detection of the virus, Dr Siraj added.

Meanwhile, as many as 97 people tested positive for Covid-19 while two patients died and 91 people were discharged after recovery during three days of Eidul Fitr in Rawalpindi.

The number of confirmed patients in the district reached 2,177 while 79 people have so far died and 850 patients discharged after recovery.

At present, 1249 confirmed patients from the tehsils of Gujar Khan, Taxila, Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kalar Syedan and Kahuta are under treatment - 297 at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology, Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and 952 isolated in their houses.

Apart from this, 709 suspected patients are admitted to the RIU, HFH, BBH and the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital. Their samples have been sent to laboratories but the results are awaited.

The local administrations also keep 3,330 people on quarantines who had been close contacts of the confirmed patients, including 2,400 people quarantined in their houses. District health authority teams have been deployed to monitor the health of those isolated in their houses.

During the last two months, 2,177 confirmed patients were reported in the Rawalpindi district, 100 patients in Attock, 192 in Jhelum and 47 in Chakwal.

As many as 79 patients died of the virus in Rawalpindi, three in Attock, four in Jhelum and two in Chakwal.

Total 253 people after returning from different countries are waiting for their results in quarantines centres in Rawalpindi district while 923 passengers were sent to their homes after they tested negative.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said the government was monitoring the situation and would decide whether the lockdown should be imposed again or not next week.

He said there was no plan to stop business outlets. He said bazaars and markets would open after Eid holidays but their timings would be from 9am to 7pm.

Taxila

Nine patients tested positive in Taxila during last 24 hours, raising the tally to 152 patients in Taxila and Wah.Deputy District Officer Health Dr Sara Qadeer said the Taxila police station house officer (SHO) had tested positive on May 19 and samples of all of his nine subordinate staff were sent to the NIH which found the virus in another police official.

Besides, four residents of Taxila also tested positive and were isolated at their homes.

Attock

Three new coronavirus cases were reported in Attock during the last 24 hours, including an employee of the District Headquarters Hospital.

Two of the new cases emerged in the Jalalia union council in Hazro tehsil of the district.

Jhelum

Two Covid-19 patients died in Jhelum on Tuesday. They included a resident of Sialkot who was a daily wage worker in Jhelum.

According to health officials, the number of total positive cases in Jhelum reached 197 which was 178 before Eidul Fitr while 105 have patients have recovered and five died of the virus.

Meanwhile, two people also died of the virus in Gujar Khan.

— Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal & Hamid Asghar

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020