ISLAMABAD: Seven more areas in the capital were on Friday sealed due to a sharp increase in the Covid-19 cases.

These areas are Bahria Town Phase II and III, Sooan Garden Block B, PWD Blolck C, Korang Town, Pakistan Town Phase I, National Police Foundation Block A and DHA Phase II sector A, B, D and E. Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat said these localities were sealed as the cases were spreading fast among the residents. Commercial centres and activities in these areas are also closed, except essential services, he added.

Police were also deployed in the areas to implement the sealing orders, the DC said.

All these areas, located in the limits of Loi Bher and Sihala police, have the highest number of active cases.

Assistant Commissioner Rural Zukhruf Fida Malik said the number of cases was increasing sharply in Loi Bher, Sihala, Rawat and Tarlai. The main reason behind the increase and spreed of the virus in these areas is commercial activities in the markets, the AC added.

Steps are being taken to create awareness among the residents and in this regard managements have been made in collaboration with mosques, trader unions, union councils and housing societies.

Twin cities report 1152 new cases with 10.7pc positivity rate in capital

Besides, teams are also constituted to implement the SOPs in these areas, the AC said.

Some schools were also found open in these areas and the same were got closed, he said.

Officials said since the outbreak, 5,767 people residing in Loi Bher have contracted the virus, followed by 2,317 in Tarlai, 1,988 in Rawat and 352 in Sihala. Loi Bher has 1,034 active cases followed by 480 in Tarlai, 387 in Rawat and 57 in Sihala.

Meanwhile, 844 more cases were reported in the capital on Friday with 10.7 per cent positivity rate.

This is the second highest positivity rate on a single day since the outbreak of the virus in March 2020.

Rawalpindi

Nine people died of Covid-19 in the district on Friday while 308 patients tested positive and 146 others were discharged from hospitals.

A traffic warden died of the virus at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) where he was admitted two days ago. He was a resident of Taxila.

A spokesman for the regional police officer (RPO) said Hamad Ali, 38, joined the traffic police on April 2, 2007. He was deputed in the Cantt circle.

He said 332 police officials/officers have been infected with the virus and four have passed away since the pandemic started. Of the 332 personnel, 297 have recovered and 31 are under treatment in hospitals or isolated in their homes.

Abdul Rasheed, 63, resident of Kahuta, died at Holy Family Hospital where he was brought on April 1.

Abdul Razaq, 75, of Ghori Town, was admitted to Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) on March 28 but died of the virus.

Bibi Zara, 50, a resident of Afandi Colony, also died at RIU where she was admitted on March 28.

Akhter Bibi, 76, was brought to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) from Murree on April 1 where she passed away.Syed Shah Ghulam, 85, resident of Wah Cantonment, also died at Pims a day after being admitted there.

Haji Fazal Haq, 65, was brought from Gujar Khan to Pims on March 31 where he died.

Karamat Hussain, 84, a resident of Dhoke Chaudhrian, was admitted to Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre on March 31 where he passed away.Gulzar Begum, 65, also died at Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre where she was brought from the garrison city on April 1.

Of the new patients, 214 came from the garrison city, including 89 from cantonment, and 66 from Potohar Town and 59 from Rawal Town.

Moreover, 16 patients came from Gujar Khan, 50 from Taxila, five from Murree, 12 from Kallar Syedan and two from Kahuta, four from Islamabad, one each from Jhelum, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin, Muzaffarabad and D.I. Khan.

There are 2,266 active patients in the district - 190 in hospitals and 2,076 in home isolation. Besides, 539 patients are waiting for the results of their Covid-19 serology.

Officials said 30 of the new patients are admitted in Holy Family Hospital, 35 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 117 in RIU and eight in Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH).

Commissioner Mohammad Mehmood said 26 patients are on ventilators, 99 on oxygen and 65 are stable.

He said the district administration had identified nine hotspots in the garrison city for a two-week smart lockdown.

He said uring the last 24 hours, 25,257 doses of vaccination were used in Rawalpindi district.

Attock

One more patient succumbed to the virus while two more tested positive in Attock on Friday. The number of confirmed patients increased to 1,610.

District focal person for Covid-19 Kashif Hussain said there are 234 active patients in the district - 230 home isolated and four under treatment.

The local administration in Pindigheb sealed two private schools for not following SOPs. The district education department has closed all public sector educational institutions in the district.

In Fatehjang, Assistant Commissioner Azeem Shoukat sealed a utility store and a number of shops. He also arrested a number of shopkeepers for not following SOPs.

Taxila

The number of patients in the city surged to 1,151 after 22 more people tested positive in Taxila and Wah on Friday.

According to health authorities, there are 164 active patients in the area - four hospitalised and 140 home isolated. So far, 40 people have succumbed to the virus in the area. — Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2021