PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 10 more mortalities and 556 new infections on Tuesday as a report showed that of the total Covid-19 patients reported since onset of the pandemic in the province, 28 per cent had fever, 23 per cent dry cough and 12.6 per cent suffered from shortness of breathing.

The report compiled by World Health Organisation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sub-office, said that 18 per cent of the co-morbid patients had history of hypertension and 17 per cent diabetes. It said that patients tested positive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Covid-19 or examined at hospitals had various symptoms and other ailments too.

According to it, 11.5 per cent of the patients had sore throat, 8.2 per cent complained of body ache, five per cent headache, 3.4 per cent flu and 0.5 per cent stuffy nose besides small percentage of people, who showed up with pneumonia, runny nose, sneezing, diarrhoea and chest pain.

Report says 28pc patients have fever, 23pc dry cough and 12.6pc suffer from shortness of breath

The report said that of the total 1,45,862 patients diagnosed with Covid-19, 12 per cent suffered from chronic renal diseases and as many cardiovascular diseases, 10 per cent had cancer, 8 per cent were pregnant women while other had diseases of unknown nature.

Eight per cent of the people tested positive for coronavirus, suffered from chronic respiratory diseases, it said.

In July, 60 persons passed away of Covid-19 in Peshawar, 23 in Abbottabad, 15 in Kohat, 13 in Swat, eight in Mardan, seven in Dera Ismail Khan, five in Nowshera, three in Swabi, two in Haripur and one each in Mansehra, Bajaur, Chitral Lower, Hangu, Tank and Bannu.

Case fatality rate was 8.1 per cent in Swat, 5.3 per cent in Abbottabad, 4.7 per cent in Dera Ismail Khan, 3.6 per cent in Kohat, 3.1 per cent Mardan, 2.8 per cent in Bajaur, 2.3 per cent Peshawar and 15 per cent in Nowshera.

Meanwhile, a report of health department said that the province’s death toll reached 4,487 fatalities as 10 more died of Covid-19 on Tuesday. Four persons died in Abbottabad, two in Peshawar, one each in Mardan, Haripur, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan.

It said that of the infected patients, 136,675 (95 per cent) including 198 registered during the last 24 hours, recovered. It said that the province’s tally of active cases was 4,700 including 1,695 in Peshawar, the epicentre of the virus, which recorded 206 new cases. It added that 9,325 Covid-19 tests were conducted in the province.

Peshawar, which has recorded most deaths and incidence since onset of the pandemic, has 16.2 per cent infectivity rate, Mardan 7 per cent, Abbottabad 6.7 per cent, Swabi 3.7 per cent and Swat 2.5 per cent.

Health officials said they were concerned regarding spike in Covid-19 cases as well as hospitalisation of infected people. At present 813 people were admitted to different hospitals including 37 critical patients on ventilators.

They said that they looked towards the district administration to enforce standard operating procedure, especially in high-risk districts, to prevent the infection. The province has already reported Indian, UK and South African variants of virus due to which the need for adopting precautions has increased.

Officials said that there was no shortage of beds but given the advent of fourth wave and non-compliance with precautionary measures, they feared to witness the situation of June last year when hospitals were overcrowded with patients.

“Therefore, all people above 18 years should get vaccinated and strictly adhere to social distancing, hand hygiene and avoid visiting crowded places,” they said.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2021