ISLAMABAD: As many as 14 people died and 449 new infections were reported in the twin cities on Wednesday as the daily count of Covid-19 cases rose in the capital after a gap of three days.

Officials of the capital administration said about 5,008 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours of which 342 tested positive. The positivity rate on Wednesday stood at 6.8pc compared to 4.3pc a day earlier.

All six patients who passed away had been admitted to various hospitals.

Utilisation of ventilators in the capital on Wednesday was 65pc, which is the highest among 13 major cities. In addition, utilisation of oxygenated beds was 59pc - the second highest in the country.

On Wednesday, 40 cases were reported from Tarlai, 22 from E-11, 21 from G-6, 17 from Bhara Kahu, 16 from G-9, 14 from G-11, 13 from F-6, 12 each from G-10 and Bahria Town, 11 each from Ghauri Town, G-7 and F-7, 10 each from G-8 and DHA-II, nine from F-10, eight from I-8, seven each from G-5 and F-11, six from Soan Garden, five each from Sohan and NPF, four each from Jinnah Garden and H-8, three each from Naval Anchorage, Media Town and Korang Town and two each from Sihala, Khanna, I-9 and I-10.

Islamabad sees surge in infections after three-day gap

Rawalpindi

As many as eight people died from Covid-19 in Rawalpindi district while 107 tested positive.

As many as 131 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering.

Abdul Rasheed, 78, a resident of Gulzar-i-Quaid, was brought to Holy Family Hospital on Dec 1 but he passed away on Tuesday night. Nadeem Butt, 45, a resident of Satellite Town, was admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Dec 1 and died on Wednesday morning.

Elahi Buksh, 73, a resident of Satellite Town, was admitted to Shifa International Hospital on Dec 1 where he died on Wednesday. Javed Zahid, 60, a resident of Gulshan-i-Nayyab, was admitted to Holy Family Hospital on Nov 21 where he died on Tuesday night. Mumtaz Hussain, 70, from Morgah, was brought to Rawalpindi Institute of Urology on Nov 25 but breathed his last on Wednesday.

Similarly, Syed Asad, 63, resident of Sadiq Town, died on Tuesday; Mohammad Zaman, 78, from Shah Khalid Colony passed away on Wednesday and Shamim Abrar, 50, resident of Mandra, succumbed to the virus at HFH.

Around 1,274 patients are under treatment in the district and 161 patients are admitted to hospitals.

Currently, there are 27 confirmed patients in HFH, three in Hearts International, two in Begum Akhtar Memorial Hospital, six in Red Crescent Hospital, 40 in RIU and 12 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Out of these, 91 are from Rawalpindi district while the remaining are from other districts. As many as 51 patients are from Rawalpindi city, 20 from cantonment areas, 19 from Gujar Khan, three from Kahuta, one from Kallar Syedan and four from Taxila.

Around 564 patients are waiting for their test results while 1,113 patients are isolated in their homes.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the number of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 decreased slightly on Wednesday and the number of patients who have recovered from the deadly virus is increasing which is a good sign.

He said the provincial government directed the district administrations to implement standard operating procedures in public places to avoid spread of the disease, adding that 12,501 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since March including 10,598 in Rawalpindi, 813 in Attock, 716 in Jhelum and 374 in Chakwal.

As many as 10,497 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovery in the four districts including 8,904 in Rawalpindi, 693 in Attock, 596 in Jhelum and 304 in Chakwal.

Around 504 people have died due to the disease in Rawalpindi Division including 420 in Rawalpindi, 22 in Attock, 11 in Jhelum and 51 in Chakwal.

Attock

The number of positive cases in Attock touched the 800 mark as 15 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19 raising the tally to 813.

According to a report issued by the local health department, it is the fourth highest tally of any day during the second wave of the virus. District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Jawad Ellahi said among the 15 new cases, nine belong to Attock city, three to Hazro, two to Pindigheb and one to Hassanabdal, adding, the number of active patients in the district surged to 98, out of which 89 are home isolated while nine are hospitalised.

Meanwhile, Taxila witnessed another surge in Covid-19 positive cases as 12 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours, raising the tally to 780.

The health department’s report revealed that out of the 12 new cases reported on Wednesday, six are minors aged 15, 13, 10, 9 and the rest are two-year-old.

According to the health department, there are 143 active patients in the area and all of them are under home isolation while 578 patients have recovered from the disease in the area. — Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2020