TAXILA: A woman died from Covid-19 in Attock on Thursday and 31 more people were diagnosed with the disease, district health authorities have confirmed.

There have now been 131 cases of Covid-19 in Attock district and five deaths.

According to health authorities, the deceased was a 60-year-old woman from Shakardara. She had been admitted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Attock, where she tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago.

District emergency officer Dr Ishfaq Man said that she was buried according to the Covid-19 protocol.

There has been an alarming spike in the district, with the highest single-day rise in cases since the coronavirus outbreak began.

The district focal person for Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi confirmed that Thursday’s increase was the highest ever single-day increase in Covid-19 cases.

District health authorities have set up a control room at the office of the deputy commissioner, while rapid response teams equipped with personal protective equipment are working round the clock.

Health authorities said that 30 of the new patients are among 179 Pakistanis who recently returned from the United Arab Emirates on board special repatriation flights.

Dr Niazi said that the returning passengers are being quarantined in two facilities in the district, the Punjab Danish School in Jand and the Government Technical College in Attock city.

Dr Niazi said that eight Covid-19 patients are currently being treated in district hospitals. Two are admitted to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Hospital in Kamra, two are in the District Headquarters Hospital, three are in the Hazro Tehsil Headquarters Hospital and one is in CMH. They are all stable, he said.

He said 5,817 people have been screened in the district. The number of suspected patients so far has reached 2,147, of which 1,686 have tested negative and the results of 360 are still awaited. He added that 54 people have recovered from the disease so far.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2020