LAHORE: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has warned of rise in the Covid-19 cases due to the Delta variant in the fourth wave.

Speaking to media persons at the Chief Minister Secretariat here on Tuesday, she reiterated that the Delta variant had much faster transmission rate than that of other variants.

She said the Covid ratio was 14pc in Attock, 13pc in Dera Ghazi Khan, 11pc in Jhang, 9pc in Narowal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi, and 8pc in Layyah, Lahore, Gujrat and Lodhran. The figures shared by the health minister were different to those reported and released by the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department here on Tuesday.

She said 170 ventilators had been reserved at the district and tehsil headquarters hospitals of Punjab for the Covid patients. Adequate arrangements for treatment were available and all medicines including Actemra were available in stock, she said.“We can overcome the pandemic by vaccinating 70pc to 80pc of the people over 18 years and then we can open the businesses,” Prof Rashid said. She said Punjab had vaccinated 23.5 million people and there was adequate vaccine stock available. “Vaccine supply is coming uninterrupted from the federal government and currently there are over 300,000 doses available,” she said.

“Punjab has vaccinated more than 26pc people over 18 years, 47pc in over 40 category, 50pc in over 50 years category, 63pc over 60 years, and 45pc over 70 years,” she said.

Out of more than 60 million in 18 years and above category, the Punjab government has set a target of vaccinating at least 40 million to 45 million people.

In Faisalabad 26pc, in Gujranwala and Lahore 37pc, in Multan 32pc and in Gujrat 45pc people have been vaccinated.

“The federal government has provided 11 oxygen generators which have a huge capacity,” she said. She said all teaching hospitals including Mayo and Ganga Ram had been given oxygen generators. Besides, Multan, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujrat, Bahawalpur and Sahiwal had also been given oxygen generators.

Out of the patients admitted to hospitals, she said, 88pc were unvaccinated. In the remaining 12pc, five per cent have received first dose, she said. Among the 37 patients currently on ventilators, 36pc are unvaccinated, the health minister said.

According to the update, Covid has claimed 40 lives during the last 24 hours in Punjab. This is said to be the highest figure reported in a day since the outbreak of the fourth wave across the province. The positivity rate increased to 10.3 in Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.

The Covid positivity rate remained 4.7 in Punjab. The virus infectivity ratio was 5.5pc in Lahore, 2.8pc in Multan and 4.1pc in Gujranwala.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2021