ISLAMABAD: Nine more educational institutions were sealed in Islamabad after detection of Covid-19 virus among their students and staff.

Meanwhile, a smart lockdown was imposed in six localities of Rawalpindi district after emergence of more than three cases in each of the areas.

Officials of the capital administration said the Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG), F-7/2, was sealed after detection of four cases there while three cases were traced in Islamabad Model College for Girls, Rawal Town, two cases each in Islamabad Model School for Girls, F-6/1, Islamabad College for Girls F-6/2, Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-6/2, Islamabad Model School for Girls (I-X), Model Town Humak, Islamabad Model College for Girls I-10/4, Islamabad Model College for Girls Street 52, F-7/4, Islamabad Model School for Boys (VI-X) I-8/4.

These educational institutions were sealed under the directives of the District Health Office Islamabad to avoid further spread of the virus among staff and students.

The administrations of the schools and colleges were advised to immediately close down their premises till further intimation by the district health office. They were also asked to conduct disinfection activities as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of National Health Services.

Besides, contacts of the positive cases are being traced for testing to detect the virus among them and in this regards details are also being collected from the institutions. All the positive cases were advised to isolate themselves in their houses for two weeks.

The suspects and the contacts of the cases were also asked to quarantine themselves, they added.

The number of educational institutions sealed in the capital in the last three days rose to 19. Two institutions were closed on Sunday, eight on Monday and nine on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, 479 new cases were reported in the capital on Tuesday.

In the last 24 hours, 5,405 tests were conducted in the capital which detected the virus among 267 men and 212 women with positivity rate standing at 8.86pc.

The officials said 112 cases were reported in the age group of 20-29, 110 in 30-39, 86 in 40-49, 52 in 0-9, 49 in 50-59, 28 in 10-19, 25 in 60-69 nine in 70-79 and eight in 80 and above.

The number of active cases in the capital reached 2,702, and 66 of them are admitted to different hospitals and the rest are home isolated.

Rawalpindi

One person lost his life in the district while 186 people tested positive of the virus on Tuesday. Moreover, 10 patients were discharged from hospitals after their recovery in the last 24 hours.

Hina Bibi, 20, a resident of Pindora, was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on January 13 where she died.

According to the District Health Authority, a smart lockdown was imposed in a street of Mohallah Town Saddar after emergence of three cases in a day there; Street No 5 of Tench Bhatta (four cases), Street 7, Peshawar Road (three cases), Street 11 of Mohallah Raja Sultan, Street 3 Lalazar Wah Cantonment and Street 13 Airport Housing Society (four cases each).

As per data released by the Punjab government, the positivity ratio in the district remained 9.31pc. As many as 1,997 samples were collected in the district out of which 186 tested positive.

There are 871 active patients in the district - 39 in hospitals and 832 home isolated.

Officials said 48 patients arrived from cantonment areas and 44 from city areas. Besides, 50 cases were reported from Potohar Town, seven from Gujar Khan, three from Kahuta, seven from Kallar Syedan and 25 from Taxila.

Of the new cases, 10 were admitted at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, 14 at Fauji Foundation Hospital, two at the HFH and 13 at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology.

There are three patients on ventilators, 26 are on oxygen and 10 are stable.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2022