TAXILA: As many as 43 public sector healthcare workers tested positive for Covid-19 in Attock during the last 100 days.

Data from the District Health Department showed that the virus has continued to take a toll on healthcare workers across the district; 21 out of the 43 infected were doctors and 22 paramedics. Two deputy district health officers of two different tehsils also tested positive in Attock.

District Health Officer (preventive services) Dr Asad Ismail said: “The first frontline health worker in the district, who was Covid-19 positive, was Dr Nabeel. He was tested positive on May 20 and recovered on June 15. Two doctors, including Dr Latif Raja and Dr Afzaal Rafeeq are currently admitted in different isolation wards at different hospitals while one another paramedic, admitted in District Headquarters [DHQ] hospital, is in critical condition.

Responding to a question, he said that due to timely diagnosis and treatment, no fatality of a frontline health worker wasreported in the district.

Further more in Taxila, 15 frontline health workers tested positive for the virus, in the last 100 days.

According to data, 12 public sector doctors tested positive for Covid-19.

A deputy medical superintendent is among those who were tested positive. Deputy District Officer (health) Dr Sara Qadeer said: “The first frontline health worker who was tested positive for Covid-19 in Taxila was Dr Mohammad Iqbal, on April 15.

Most doctors from Tehsil Headquarters [THQ] hospital, POF hospital, Wah General hospital and paramedics from THQ were tested positive. All those who tested positive, have recovered and have been discharged.”

Attock

As many as 13 more people tested positive in Attock on Sunday, taking the number of people infected with the virus in the district to 454.

On the other hand. A 65-year-old woman from Wessa village in Hazro died of the disease taking the death toll to 22.District focal person for Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said nine of the new patients belonged to Attock city, three to Hazro and one to Fatehjang. He said the number of active patients in the district was 159.

The number of suspected cases also increased to 3,591 while screening of total 7,172 persons was carried out so far in which 2,822 tested negative. He said the results of 315 suspected patients were awaited.

He said 10 positive patients were under treatment in different hospitals. Out of the 454 positive patients, 149 are home isolated and 248 patients have recovered so far.

Jhelum

As many as 19 people tested positive in Jhelum on Sunday. According to Dr Waseem Iqbal, the head of district health department, the patients have been shifted to hospitals in different tehsils.

He said 3,053 people had been screened for Covid-19 of which 414 tested positive and 361 recovered.

He said 12 doctors, two nurses and six paramedical staffers were among the positive patients. He said two doctors and three paramedical staff members were still under treatment. So far, 30 people have died of the disease in the district.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2020