LAHORE: The Covid-19 claimed 32 more lives across the province during the last 24 hours while 492 more people tested positive for the virus.

Of them, 15 occurred in the provincial capital where the total number of deaths due to the coronavirus, so far, has reached 1995. The death toll caused by the virus in the province has crossed the figure of 5,000.

According to the figures released by the government on Saturday, the total number of the confirmed cases of the virus in Punjab reached 163,367.

The health experts said though the number of positive cases continued to decrease in Punjab, there was no respite in the everyday casualties. They said the late admission of the coronavirus to hospitals was increasing the death rate. They said the patients were being treated at homes without the prescriptions of the doctors, which was causing complications before taking them to the health facilities. They urged the people to avoid delay and take the Covid-19 patients to hospitals timely to start emergency treatment to prevent deaths.

According to the statistics, the total number of the deaths due to the coronavirus in Punjab had reached 5,026.

Of the new confirmed cases, 293 were reported from Lahore while others from Jhelum, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Khanewal, Nankana Sahib, Hafizabad, Lodhran, Jhang, Bahawalnagar, Khushab, Layyah, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Gujrat, Kasur, Okara, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Chiniot, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan and Muzaffargarh.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2021