Delta variant continues to take its toll on people in Punjab

Published August 5, 2021
A health worker inoculates a media person with a dose of the Covid-19 coronavirus Sinovac vaccine at a vaccination centre in Rawalpindi on May 25. — AFP/File
A health worker inoculates a media person with a dose of the Covid-19 coronavirus Sinovac vaccine at a vaccination centre in Rawalpindi on May 25. — AFP/File

LAHORE: The Covid-19 positivity rate was 4.5 per cent in Punjab on Wednesday.

It was 17.1pc in Rawalpindi, the highest one reported in any city across the province during the fourth wave of the deadly virus.

The data shows that the Delta variant is taking heavy toll in Punjab as the number of cases is alarmingly increasing with every passing day.

According to Covid-19 update released on Wednesday, the infectivity rate of the virus was recorded 5.8pc in Lahore, 4.6pc in Faisalabad and 4.2pc in Multan.

The data shows the Punjab reported 934 new cases and 21 deaths during the last 24 hours. Of the new positive cases, Lahore recorded 455, the highest figure reported in the city in a day during the current wave.

According to official figures, the total number of infections in Punjab reached 359,321.

Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Sarah Aslam said the infectivity rate was increasing in major cities of the province due to the presence of highly infectious Indian Delta variant.

She said the Punjab government had expedited the vaccination process as the health teams were giving jabs to over 500,000 people daily to stop transmission of the virus.

The secretary said the health department administered vaccine to record 627,487 people during the last 24 hours in Punjab.

She said 662 vaccination centres were functioning across the province to facilitate the public.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...