ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the twin cities continued rising with the tally in the capital crossing the mark of 1,000 and that in Rawalpindi reaching 1,826.

Officials said with the 37 new cases in Islamabad, the total number of confirmed patients in the capital increased to 1,034 while 56 people tested positive in the garrison city.

Meanwhile, four patients died in Rawalpindi and two in Islamabad.

The two patients who died in Islamabad were kept at the isolation ward of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

One of them was confirmed and the second suspected patient.

The suspected patient was 77 years old and a diabetic and heart patient. He was brought to Pims on May 16, officials said. The other patient was 65 years old and a resident of Murree.

Pims Joint Executive Director Dr Minhajus Siraj told Dawn that the family of the suspected patient had submitted his sample to a private hospital but he died before receiving the report.

The family requested the hospital management to hand over the body for burial and gave an undertaking that they would follow the protocol regarding shifting of the body and its burial, he said, adding the body was later handed over to them.

Covid-19 cases also increasing in Rawalpindi, Gujar Khan

Dr Siraj said 17 confirmed patients were kept in the isolation ward and three in a private ward. Besides, eight patients are kept at the corona ICU and three of them are on ventilators.

Rawalpindi

Besides the new 56 positive cases, four people died of the disease in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

A 55-year-old woman from Dhoke Munshi was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on May 18 where she died.

A 30-year-old resident of 7th Road died at his house where he had been isolated.

Another patient, aged 45 years and a resident of Mohallah Shah Chan Chiragh, died at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) where he was admitted on May 15.

A 47-year-old resident of Dhama Syedan Adiala Road was admitted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital on May 17 where he also died.

So far, 73 people have died in Rawalpindi and 508 discharged after recovery.

At present, 1,245 confirmed patients are under treatment, including 454 in hospitals and 791 quarantined in their houses.

Apart from this, 479 suspected patients were also brought to the three hospitals and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital but the results are awaited.

However, district health authority officials said 1,229 people tested negative while 421 others tested positive during the last three days. They said samples of all close contacts of the confirmed patients had been sent for test.

The local administrations also keep 2,903 people on quarantine. As many as 1,303 passengers coming from abroad are kept in quarantine centres at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Pir Mehar Ali Shah University and Engineering University Taxila.

Officials said 367 of the passengers belonged to Rawalpindi and 936 to other districts while 1,070 passengers were sent home during the last two days.

An official said 791 confirmed patients were isolated in their homes in Rawalpindi, 22 in Attock and 11 in Chakwal.

Gujar Khan

Eleven more people in Gujar Khan tested positive on Tuesday. A resident of Sarwar Shaheed College Colony had tested positive a few days ago and samples of his family members had been sent for test.

On Tuesday, his nine family members tested positive. They were already quarantined in their houses.

A resident of Sandal Road in Gujar Khan also tested positive. According to officials, his mother had died of the virus a few days ago. A resident of Ward No 6 also tested positive.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Gujar Khan has reached 91 while 44 patients have recovered and 10 died. — Additional reporting by Hamid Asghar

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2020