ISLAMABAD: Eight Covid-19 patients died in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and 887 more people tested positive on Tuesday.

During the last 24 hours, 7,500 tests were conducted in the capital and the positivity rate remained 8.79 per cent.

Seven of the deaths were reported from Rawalpindi and one from Islamabad.

Meanwhile, teams, comprising lady health workers, have been constituted in the capital to check and ensure that citizens aged above 60 years are vaccinated.

Officials of the capital administration said the teams will go door to door and inquire about the people and check if they have got themselves vaccinated or not. The teams will also assist the elderly people to locate the nearest vaccination centres.

The step was taken to ensure that all elderly people are vaccinated before the start of the second phase of the vaccination drive during which other age groups would also be vaccinated.

Moreover, vaccination of foreign healthcare workers and senior citizens has also been started in the capital, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said.

Their vaccination started in response to the instruction from the NCOC, he said, adding the foreign healthcare workers were working with hospitals and other health related projects in Islamabad.

They also include the WHO healthcare staff stationed in the capital, he added.

He said the number of foreign healthcare workers and foreigners aged over 60 years is not available with the district health office or the district administration, the DHO said.

Meanwhile, 659 new cases were reported in the capital on Tuesday.

A woman also died of the disease and she was in the age group of 60-69 and a resident of Tarlai.

The officials said allocation of beds for the patients in 15 hospitals had been increased to 790. Out of the total, 498 patients are kept in hospitals and the bed occupancy rate is 63.03 per cent.

Besides, there are 107 ventilators allocated for the Covid-19 patients in 12 hospitals. At present, 61 patients are on ventilators and the occupancy rate is 57 per cent.

Rawalpindi

Seven patients died of Covid-19 and 228 people tested positive in the district.

Ijaz Pervaiz Elvi, 64 years old, resident of Mohallah Qutubuddin, was brought to Rawalpindi Institute of Urology on March 31 where he died.

Mohammad Abdul Rasheed, 64, resident of Kuri Road, died at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology where he was brought on March 31.

Rukhsana Bibi, 55, resident of Mohallah Toli Shah, was admitted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital on April 5 where she also died.

Irshad Begum, 70, resident of Tench Bhatta, died at District Headquarters Hospital where she was brought on April 5.

Asmat Bibi, 52, of the city area, was brought to Holy Family Hospital on April 5 where she died.

Javed Iqbal, 66, resident of Chaklala Scheme-III, died at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology where he was brought on April 4.

Saleem Durrani, 70, resident of Airport Housing Scheme, died at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology where he was brought on April 5.

Of the new patients,167 reported to hospitals from the garrison city - 67 from the cantonment, 56 from Potohar Town and 44 from Rawal Town.

Moreover, 16 patients each came from Gujar Khan and Taxila, two from Murree, four from Kallar Syedan, seven from Kotli Sattian, four from Kahuta. six patients from Islamabad, two from AJK, one each from Attock, Jhelum, KP and Pind Dadan Khan.

There are 2,790 active patients in the district. As many as 672 patients are in hospitals and 2,118 home isolated. Moreover, 642 patients are waiting for the results of their Covid-19 serology.

Officials said 79 of the new patients were admitted in Holy Family Hospital, 99 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 133 in Rawalpindi institute of Urology (RIU), six patients in District Headquarters Hospital and 22 in Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH).

Commissioner Mohammad Mehmood said there are 29 patients on ventilators and 125 on oxygen.

Attock

Seven people tested positive in Attock district taking the number of confirmed patients to 1,622.

Chief executive, District Health Authority Dr Jawad Ellahi said six of the new patients were from Attock city and Hazro, and one from Hassanabdal.

He said the number of active patients in the district was 245 in which 238 were home isolated and seven under treatment. Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2021