ISLAMABAD: The district health office has recommended sealing of seven areas in different sectors of the capital city as Covid-19 cases continued rising.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia told Dawn that his office had recommended to the district administration to seal G-6/1, G-6/2, G-7/2, G-8/1, G-9/2, G-10/4 and G-11/3 as cases are surfacing there.A letter written to the deputy commissioner office stated that the DHO Covid-19 teams had conducted surveillance in sub-sectors G-6/1, G-6/2, G-7/2, G-8/1, G-9/2, G-10/4 and G-11/3. The family members of the Covid-19 patients have also contracted the virus, it added.

“Further contact tracing and sampling led to more cases in the areas. The contacts were home quarantined and these sectors may remain in strict observation under your administration.”

In order to ensure the safety of the residents and to contain the spread of the virus, it is recommended that movement in these sub-sectors may be restricted.

More cases detected after contact tracing, sampling carried out in these areas, says DHO

Moreover, SOPs may strictly be ensured in the capital amidst the rise of Covid-19 cases, the letter added.

Officials of the capital administration said there were 568 active cases in G-6 followed by 491 in G-10, 426 in G-7, 421 in G-9, 398 in G-11 and 349 in G-8.

Loi Bher has the highest number of active cases which is 1,037. The number of patients whose addresses are not known is also increasing gradually and has reached 794.

These patients are a potential threat to the safety measures taken by the administration to prevent the spread.

Bhara Kahu and Tarli have the third and fourth highest number of active cases with 716 and 674 active cases, respectively.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Covid-19 in the capital reached 611, as six more people succumbed to the disease on Saturday and four on Sunday.

On Saturday, a male and a female patients in the age group of 50-59 and 60-69 passed away while two deaths of males were reported in the age group of 70-79.

They were the residents of Bhara Kahu, G-10, Sohan, Kurri and G-15. The address of one deceased could not be known.

The death of one female each was reported in the age group of 60-69 and 80-89 on Sunday. Besides, two more females in the age group of 50-59 also among the dead.

They were the residents of Bhara Kahu, G-7, G-8 and Rawat. There are 12,865 active cases in the capital. The tally of total cases has reached 52,904.

On Monday, 680 cases were reported in the capital, said the officials, adding 5,982 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours and the positivity rate was 11.36pc.

As many as 545 patients, including 306 residents of the capital, are admitted to 15 hospitals and 483, including 275 local residents, are on oxygen. Likewise, 62 patients, including 31 from the capital, are on ventilators.

The occupancy rate of beds and ventilators allocated for the Covid-19 patients is 67.95pc and 55.35pc, respectively.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2021