LAHORE: As the third spike of Covid-19 intensifies, Punjab reported 1,824 positive cases, the highest number in a day so far, on Thursday, while the virus claimed the lives of 43 more people across the province.

Meanwhile, for the reasons best known to it, the Punjab government continues to ignore the calls of concerned medical and health experts for increasing the testing ratio in the largest province so that the actual burden of the disease could be known for a fair analysis of the situation. According to the Punjab government’s figures, 17,127 Covid tests were performed during the last 24 hours. With these figures, the daily average of new Covid cases has jumped to 1,500.

A comparison shows that approximately the same number of tests was being performed daily in Jan and Feb this year when the daily average of new cases was 400 to 500 in Punjab.

The experts, expressing their concern over the situation, urge random sampling in the markets, offices and among various communities, terming it the best strategy so far to document the disease burden.

Virus claims 43 more lives, infects 1,824 others

They say the exercise had proved fruitful during the first Covid-19 spike in Punjab last year for a fair measurement of prevalence of the virus in the population. They say a study based on random sampling, followed by data analysis, had helped them evolve a counter strategy to curtail the virus.

According to the official figures, the number of total positive cases in Punjab has reached 191,186.

Of the new cases reported on Thursday in Punjab, 1,080 were in Lahore, the highest number during the last eight months or so.

Meanwhile, to cater the growing number of Covid patients, the Mayo Hospital Lahore, the main facility fighting the pandemic, on Thursday added 70 more beds to its existing capacity.

“We have created another ward with 70 beds having a high-flow oxygen supply system for the patients with breathing issues,” the hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Iftikhar Ahmad told Dawn. The ward now dedicated for Covid patients was locked for the last many months, and it had been made fully functional, he added.

The virus’ death toll across the province reached 5,894 after 43 more patients succumbed to it during the last 24 hours in Punjab.

MEETING: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid called an emergent meeting on Thursday to review arrangements for the treatment of Covid patients at different hospitals.

“We are seeing an alarming increase in the number of the coronavirus cases and urge people to observe safety precautions to curtail the infection,” she said.

Addressing the meeting, she claimed the Punjab government was providing adequate number of ventilators, high dependency units (HDUs), isolation wards and other facilities to the Covid patients.

She said the coronavirus tests of prisoners at the Camp Jail would be conducted soon. “We have enhanced the treatment facilities for Covid patients across the province,” she added.

She said the vaccination of the people over 60 years of age was underway, hoping the current lockdown and the related restrictions would help control the spread of the virus.

Prof Yasmin added the restrictions would be relaxed after improvement in the situation.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2021