ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: The capital city registered 200 confirmed cases of Covid-19 while 72 positive patients emerged in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat said as the number of cases was increasing the district administration had decided to ensure that every person would wear a mask while in crowded places.

He appealed to the citizens to limit their movement and take precautionary measures to save themselves from the virus.

Besides, the 72 coronavirus patients reported in government hospitals, one patient also died in Rawalpindi.

The number of confirmed patients in the Rawalpindi district increased to 2543 while 92 people have so far died and 974 others discharged from hospitals.

At present, 1497 confirmed patients are under treatment including 498 patients in Rawalpindi Institute of Urology, Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital and the others isolated in their houses.

Apart from this, 845 suspected patients were also brought to the hospitals and their samples have been sent to National Institute of Health (NIH) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital laboratory but the results are awaited.

The local administrations also keep 3267 people on quarantine as they had been in close contacts of the confirmed patients.

The district health authority teams have been deployed to monitor the health of the people isolated in their houses.

Total 60 passengers also tested positive while 57 are waiting for the results of their tests and they have been kept on quarantines. During the last week, 1554 people who returned from abroad arrived at the quarantine centres in the district.District Health Authority (DHA) Chief Executive Officer Dr Suhail Ahmed told Dawn that the number of patients was increasing in the district and the government was considering adopting a new strategy to implement social distancing. A final decision will be made on Monday (today).

He said after Ramazan the number of patients had increased manifold. “Though mostly people affected with the virus are isolated in their houses, the number of patients in hospitals is increasing,” he said.

He said an 120-bed field hospital at Shahbaz Sharif Sports Complex and another 120-bed Red Crescent Hospital were attached with the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology.

“Without public participation, it will be difficult for the government to implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). If people adopted safety measures, the virus would not spread,” he said.

Jhelum

Three people who returned from Doha have tested positive while 23 suspects are isolated at the THQ hospital in Jhelum.

Deputy Commissioner Jhelum Saif Anwar Jappa said a special flight had brought 251 people from Doha to Islamabad on May 27, out of whom 201 were directly transferred to Jhelum due to lack of space at quarantine centres in Rawalpindi.

He said 51 passengers were quarantined at Sohawa quarantine centre while 150 at the Cadet College Dina.

The DC said 178 passengers tested negative and were sent to their homes. He said the tally of Covid -19 cases in the district had reached 217 while 150 have recovered and seven died of the virus.

Surgeon tests positive

Eight health workers, including five doctors, have been found infected with coronavirus in Attock so far.

District focal person for Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi confirmed that a surgeon working in the tehsil headquarters hospital Pindigheb tested positive on Sunday raising the tally of the infected positive health workers to eight.

Responding to a question, he said one deputy district health officer and a physician of the tehsil headquarters hospital Hassanabdal, two doctors, one nurse and a supportive staff official of the district headquarters hospital had also tested positive. He said three cops including two police commandos deputed on security duty at a quarantine centre were also diagnosed with the virus.

Meanwhile, two persons including a woman died of coronavirus in Attock on Sunday, raising the death toll to six.

According to the health department, a 62-year-old resident of Hazro was under treatment at the isolation ward of the district headquarters hospital Attock where he died.

Moreover, a woman from Fatehjang city who was under treatment in Rawalpindi also died of the coronavirus.

The coronavirus positive cases continue escalating in Attock as seven more patients tested positive raising the tally to 148.

District focal person for Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said three of the patients belonged to Attock city, one each to tehsil Jand, Hazro and Pindigheb. He said 12 patinets were under treatment in different hospitals while 44 were quarantined. He said so far 57 patients have recovered from the disease in the district. — Additional reporting by Ikram Junaidi, Hamid Asghar & Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2020