SAHIWAL: Nine people — seven Tableeghi Jamaat activists, a doctor and a private person — tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday in Sahiwal and Pakpattan districts. Of them, six are from Sahiwal and two from Pakpattan.

Two weeks back, 198 Tableeghi Jamaat workers were quarantined in Pakpattan. Their test reports were received on Monday, and of them, one tested positive for the virus, Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Ahmed Kamal Maan said, while other activists have been sent to Peshawar.

He said still 97 preachers were in quarantine in mosques as their reports were pending.

Another positive case is a doctor of the Arifwala Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Doctor’s private clinic has been sealed and his house declared as quarantine.

Health authorities said six other preachers also tested positive for coronavirus in Sahiwal.

Arifwala doctor among confirmed cases

BAHAWALPUR: Two members of Tableeghi Jamaat tested positive for coronavirus and were admitted to the Government Civil Hospital for treatment on Tuesday.

According to police sources, the district police quarantined members of Tableeghi Jamaat in mosques in Dhoore Kote near Khairpur Daha. One of them developed symptoms of coronavirus and later became the first positive case of tehsil Ahmedpur East. The other Tableeghi Jamaat activist was also transported from a mosque to the hospital.

The officials of the treatment health facility told Dawn that after the treatment of the five confirmed coronavirus cases here, their first test proved negative and now their second test would be carried out before their discharge from the hospital. The five included three pilgrims and a woman and her granddaughter in the city. The first-ever positive coronavirus person of the district has already been discharged.

Also, all the employees and the animals of the local zoo have been declared negative of coronavirus, according to zoo curator Muhammad Hussain Gashkori.

SIALKOT: The district administration has shifted 28 confirmed coronavirus cases to other provinces for their medical healthcare in their own provinces.

DC Dr Nasir Mehmood Bashir said 99 coronavirus cases were admitted to Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot, of them 28 were shifted to other provinces as they were Tableeghi Jamaat activists.

He said the district administration had also boosted the total capacity of the VTM kits, which means 300 coronavirus tests daily.

TOBA TEK SINGH: A third case of Covid-19 in the district has tested positive.

The patient is the caretaker of a shrine in Kamalia and was shifted to the Kamalia Tehsil Headquarters Hospital on April 5 when he himself had got tested his throat and nasal swabs from a Faisalabad’s private laboratory and that report had declared him a Covid-19 positive.

His wife and four children are in their house in self-quarantine.

Kamalia Assistant Commissioner Nosheen Israr told Dawn the condition of the fresh case was out of danger and his treatment would continue in the isolation ward of the hospital.

Deputy District Officer (health) Dr Kashif Bajwa said out of 27 Tableeghi Jamaat members who were quarantined a week ago in Makki Masjid, 18 tested negative while the reports of remaining cases had not been received.

LODHRAN: A lab technician at the Lodhran DHQ hospital and two Tableeghi Jamaat members tested positive for coronavirus in Khanewal. The DHQ lab has been sealed for 48 hours. Also, infected technician’s family and other lab staff have been quarantined.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2020