PESHAWAR: As many as 17 more people, including a doctor, died of coronavirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday as the positivity ratio for Covid-19 in Peshawar reached 24.4 per cent, the highest in the country.

Dr Saddam Dilawar Khan died of Covid at the Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, taking the total number of medics falling to the virus to 50 in the province, according to the Provincial Doctors Association.

The province also recorded 984 new cases, said a report released by the health department. It said the province had so far recorded 2,457 deaths and 92,423 cases since start of the pandemic in February 2020.

LRH doctor also among the victims

The number of active cases has surged to 11,086 and the tally of recovered patients reached 78,880 with 590 more who were discharged from hospitals after they turned negative for the infectious ailment.

Peshawar continues to record most deaths and cases as it registered 12 mortalities, which take its overall tally of people passing away from the virus to 1,318 whereas the number of infections at the provincial capital swelled to 37,849 as 385 more people were diagnosed positive for the virus.

Swat, which remained third on the nationwide positivity list with 14.8 per cent, reported one death and 34 new patients, taking its total mortalities to 145 and incidences to 5,476. Two died in Swabi and one each in Mardan, Mansehra and Nowshera.

The health department has been banking on the district administration to reduce the level of incidence as well as mortalities. The Peshawar-based medical teaching institutions are nearing their capacity of beds and Swat has already run out of beds due to which the seriously-ill patients couldn’t be hospitalised. Authorities are trying to create more space for admission of critical Covid patients, but the main responsibility rests with the administration to ensure adherence of masses to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and stem the virus transmission, said health officials.

“We want complete lockdown in all the 11 high-risk districts with special focus on Peshawar which accounts for over 50 per cent deaths and cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The third wave is extremely dangerous as it kills young and old people alike,” they said. According to the officials, if the people continue to violate the SOPs there are chances the situation in the province could become like that of June last years when there was no bed left for Covid patients in the hospitals.

PDA DEMANDS: Provincial Doctors Association chairman Dr Zubair Zahir told Dawn that it was high time that the government award compensation package to the health workers fallen in line of duty due to Covid in the public sector hospitals. He said despite losing doctors, paramedics and nurses to the pandemic they were bravely working to save the lives of the people at their respective places of duty.

“Package has already been approved by the government, but it is given to the family of only one doctor so far. All those who have lost their lives should be compensated so their families could be helped financially,” Dr Zahir said.

He said majority of the relatives of the deceased health workers had been desperately waiting for the compensation amount and it would be appropriate if the government gave them the same immediately.

Dr Zahir also appealed to the people to stay away from crowded places and follow SOPs to cope with the third wave of the ailment.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2021