RAWALPINDI: Five more faculty members of different educational institutions tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday and were isolated, according to the district administration.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the district health authorities had conducted random sampling of 2,574 teaching, non-teaching staff and students in 44 educational institutions since their opening on Sept 15.

“So far, we found only 19 positive cases while results of 227 are awaited,” he said.

He said the health authorities had been directed to continue random testing after opening of schools for 8th, 7th and 6th graders. “The team will visit educational institutions soon to collect random samplings,” he added.

He said the administrations of four districts had been asked to devise SOP for closing schools, colleges and university if a certain number of people contracted the virus.

He said for now the district administration had not closed educational intuitions and just separated the confirmed patients immediately from other students and staff members.

According to the figures, one each tested positive for the virus in Government Degree College for women, Dhoke Syedan, Government Degree College, Taxila and Government Women Degree College, Wah Cantt while two cases detected in Government Degree College for Women, Dhamyal.

Earlier, two faculty staff members of Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) were found positive for Covid-19.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that no patient with Covid-19 reported in three districts of Rawalpindi Division including Attock, Chakwal and Jhelum in last 24 hours. However, eight tested positive in Rawalpindi city including six locals and two from outside the district.

Since March, 6,956 people contracted the virus in Rawalpindi district. Of them 285 died and 6,524 discharged after recovery from Rawalpindi’s four main hospitals.

However, total 429 patients are waiting for their results of coronavirus serology for the last two weeks as the laboratories in the garrison city are working slowly.

The district health authority has stopped the screening of the patients’ close contacts for last two weeks as most of their teams were busy in dengue surveillance.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2020