ISLAMABAD: Th weekly positivity rate of Covid-19 in the capital jumped to 8.76 per cent from 5.03 per cent last week.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said during the current week (March 15-20), as many as 3,133 cases were reported in the capital with a positivity rate of 8.76. Last week, 2,131 cases had emerged with the positivity rate of 5.03, he added.

On Saturday, 747 more people tested positive in the capital and the positivity rate remained 12.5pc, he added.

Officials of the capital administration said since the outbreak of the disease, 700 or more than 700 cases were reported in the capital only once. On June 14, 2020, as many as 771 cases had been reported from 4,136 tests with the positivity rate of 18.64pc.

The cases and positivity rate are still highest in the capital since the outbreak.

The officials said three more deaths were reported on Friday.

Two deaths – one male and one female – were reported in the age group of 60-69, one death of a male patient was reported in the age group of 50-59. The deceased persons were residents of G-10, Sohan and Bari Imam.

Islamabad reports 747 cases, three deaths; six patients succumb to virus, 195 more test positive in Pindi

Till Friday, 10,690 cases were reported in the age group of 30-39 years followed by 9,396 in the age group of 20-29, 7,847 in the age group of 40-49, 6,443 in the age group of 50-59, 4,581 cases in the age group of 0-9, 4,238 cases in the age group of 10-19, 4,119 in the age group of 60-69, 1,747 in the age group of 70-79, and 610 cases in the age group of 80 and above.

The officials said 165 deaths were reported in the age group of 60-69, 139 in 70-79, 87 in 50-59, 69 in 80-89, 46 in 40-49, 15 in 30-39, 14 in 90-99, two in 20-29 and one each in 0-9 and 10-19.

Rawalpindi

The number of Covid-19 patients continued increasing in the district as 195 more people tested positive and six patients died on Saturday.

However, 57 people were discharged from hospitals after their recovery in the last 24 hours.

Nazim Hussain, 70, a resident of New Katarian, was brought to Rawalpindi Institute of Urology on March 9 where he died on Saturday morning.

Haji Saeed Akhter, 72, a resident of Dhoke Ratta, died at Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital on Wednesday night where he was admitted on March 17.

Ghulam Bibi, 55, was brought to Fauji Foundation Hospital from Misrial Road on March 19 where she died on Saturday morning.

Mohammad Afzal, 43, died at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences where he was admitted on March 19. He was a resident of Gulraiz Housing Scheme.

Mohammad Imtiaz, 62, a resident of Lower Topa Murree, died at Pims a day after he was brought there.

Fareeza Khatoon, 72, a resident of Kotli Sattian, died at Pims on Saturday. She was hospitalised on March 19.

As many as 140 people tested positive in the city and cantonment areas. Officials said 43 patients arrived in hospitals from the cantonment, 45 from Potohar Town and 52 from Rawal Town.

Moreover, 20 patients arrived from Gujar Khan, 11 from Taxila, four each from Murree and Kotli Sattian, three from Kahuta and six from Kallar Syedan.

Three patients also arrived from Islamabad and two from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and one each from Karachi and Mandi Bahauddin.

In Rawalpindi district, there are 1,225 active patients. As many as 165 patients are in hospitals and 1,060 in home isolation. Besides, 538 patients are waiting for the results of their Covid-19 serology.

Officials said 24 of the new patients were admitted in Holy Family Hospital, 31 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 77 in Rawalpindi institute ofUrology (RIU), 32 in Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH), three in Red Crescent Corona Care Centre and one patient in Hearts International Hospital.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that 15 patients are on ventilators, 78 on oxygen and 65 stable.

He said that total 19,765 people tested positive since March 2020 - 16,007 in Rawalpindi, 1,384 in Attock, 1,676 in Jhelum and 698 in Chakwal.

He said that 17,469 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery in the four districts - 14,093 in Rawalpindi, 1,276 in Attock, 1,520 in Jhelum and 580 in Chakwal.

He said 834 people died in the Rawalpindi division in the last 12 months - 689 in Rawalpindi, 29 in Attock, 45 in Jhelum and 71 in Chakwal.

Attock

Nine more people tested positive in the Attock district on Saturday while a degree college for women was sealed after five of its staff members were found infected.

Focal person for Covid-19 Kashif Hussain said with the latest cases the tally in the district increased to 1,384. He the nine patients belonged to Attock city.

The number of active patients in the district is 79, and 77 of them are home isolated and two hospitalised.

Meanwhile, a team of local administration along with officials from the health department sealed the

Govt Degree College for Women Attock after five of the staff members developed symptoms of Covid-19.

A spray was carried out in the college besides sampling of students and staff. The college was sealed for 14 days.

It is the second institution in the area and third in the district to be sealed.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2021