RAWALPINDI: Three streets in Rawalpindi’s Sarafa Bazaar area were sealed for disinfection on Friday after a resident, who was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital three days ago, tested positive for Covid-19.

The patient’s report was received on Friday following which teams from the civic bodies conducted spray of chemicals and washed the streets in the vicinity of his house.

Besides, eight more confirmed patients of Covid-19 arrived at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) on Friday, taking the total number of cases in the district to 67.

Rawalpindi’s suspected patients are being kept at the filter clinic set up at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) while confirmed cases are shifted to RIU and other hospitals.

Three streets in Sarafa Bazaar sealed for disinfection

The patients belonged to Asghar Mall, Sarafa Bazaar, Taxila, Kottan Kalan, Azam Colony, Chungi 22, Airport Housing Scheme and Workshopi Mohallah. They were earlier admitted to the BBH from where they were shifted to RIU after they tested positive for the virus.

Moreover, samples of 15 suspected patients have been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and their reports are awaited.

At present, 49 confirmed patients are admitted to the RIU, six to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), three to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and two to Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) in Taxila.

Six patients have been isolated in their houses while two are at the Khan Research Laboratory (KRL) Hospital.

The total number of Covid-19 patients in the Rawalpindi Division has reached 94 - 67 in Rawalpindi, one in Attock and 28 in Jhelum.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Rawalpindi retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said the lockdown strategy of the government was aimed at unnecessary movement of citizens to avoid the spread of the virus.

He stated this during a meeting held to review the drive against the coronavirus at the divisional level.

He said it was a test case for the administration to introduce new norms under which initiatives that are inevitable for public welfare could be continued and in compliance with the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“This will allow us to push forward projects of public welfare without any undue delay,” he said. For this purpose, proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been issued.

As per the SOPs, only one person per organisation will attend a meeting and masks are must for all the participants, he said.

Briefing the commissioner about headway on the ongoing project of the RIU, it was stated that currently the institute was offering around 127 beds for Covid-19 patients but its volume will be increased to 200 beds within the next two weeks.

The meeting was informed that the second and third floors of the hospital will be fully functional by the next two weeks. The commissioner directed to ensure provision of a fire safety system and alarms in these three floors.

He said in order to ensure the sustainability of any project every PC-I will be approved only if it incorporates the no-objection certificates (NOCs) from all concerned departments.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2020