• Punjab health minister says 85pc of patients hospitalised in Rawalpindi were not vaccinated, positivity ratio rises to 13.2pc
• Over 200 contract virus in capital

ISLAMABAD: Covid-19 claimed six more lives in the twin cities - two in Islamabad and six in Rawalpindi — during the last 24 hours.

Moreover, 212 people were found infected with the virus in the capital and 125 in Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Dr Yasmin Rashid, in a press conference in Rawalpindi, said that around 29 million people had been vaccinated so far in the province.

She also said that 85pc of the 220 patients currently admitted to hospitals in Rawalpindi were not vaccinated.

Officials in the capital administration said a female patient in the age group of 50-59 and a male patient aged between 60 and 69 died of the virus. They were residents of Lohi Bher and G-7.

During the last 24 hours, 6,330 tests were conducted out of which 126 males and 86 females tested positive with a 3.3pc positivity rate.

They said 44 cases were reported in the age group of 30-39, 35 in 10-19, 34 in 40-49, 33 in 0-9, 30 in 20-29, 17 in 50-59, 14 in 60-69, four in 70-79 and one in 80 and above.

Likewise, 17 cases were reported from Lohi Bher, 13 from Tarlai, 12 from G-9, 10 each from Bhara Kahu and E-11, seven each from Rawat, G-6, G-11, six each from G-13, G-5, five from Sohan, four from Alipur, three each from G-7, F-6, F-8, F-7, two each from G-10, I-8, I-10, F-11, F-10, I-9, H-11, H-9, Phulgran, and one each from Khanna, Chak Shahzad, Rawal Town, Chirrah, G-15, Bari Imam, B-17, F-5, and Gokina.

APP ADDS: Around 31,601 Covid patients have recovered so far in the district of Rawalpindi out of which 28,993 belonged to Rawalpindi and 2,608 were from other districts. The positivity ratio was recorded at 13.2pc.

As per the latest data released by the District Health Authority, 1,437 people have died of the virus so far in the district while 125 more cases were reported in the last 24 hours, including 36 from Rawal Town, 28 from Potohar Town, 38 from Rawalpindi cantonment, five each from Gujar Khan and Murree, four from Taxila, two each from Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and one each from Mandi Bahauddin, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Jhelum, Kallar Syedan and Kahuta.

“At present, 208 patients are admitted to various facilities - 30 in Holy Family Hospital, 29 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital, 84 in Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU), 50 in Fauji Foundation Hospital, six in District Headquarters Hospital, five in Bilal Hospital and two each in Hearts International Hospital and Akhtar Rukhsana Memorial Trust,” the report said.

As many as 11 patients are on ventilators in critical condition, 85 are stable and 112 are on oxygen while six patients lost their lives in the last 24 hours.

The report said 1,978,810 people have received their anti-Covid vaccine so far, including 39,287 health workers and 1,939,523 other citizens aged above 18 years.

29m vaccinated in Punjab

According to APP, Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Yasmin Rashid said around 29 million people had been vaccinated so far in the province while 600,000 to 700,000 residents of Punjab were being jabbed daily.

Addressing a press conference at the RIU, she said 1,609 people tested positive and 24 others died in the province in the last 24 hours. The minister said corona patients were being treated at 57 public sector hospitals while the ventilator occupancy rate in the province was 72pc.

She said the positivity rate in Rawalpindi on Monday was 13.2pc followed by Multan (11.7pc), Lahore (9.1pc), Faisalabad (9.1pc) while all over the province the collective positivity rate was 6.6pc.

Dr Yasmeen added that around 3,800 patients had so far been treated at the RIU while at present 220 patients were admitted to various faculties in the city.

She said the only way to control the spread of the pandemic was vaccination, adding out of the total 220 patients admitted to hospitals in Rawalpindi, 85pc were those who had not been vaccinated.

The minister said if 70pc of the population got themselves vaccinated we shall be able to control the disease.

She said 280,000 people had been vaccinated at their homes in Rawalpindi.

Talking about the completion of RIU, the minister expressed the hope that it would become functional by June 2022.

She said Rs450 million had been spent on the purchase of equipment recently while installation of 30 dialysis, four modular operation theatres and a laundry plant was in the final stages.

Seven mother and child centres were being set up in Multan, Rajanpur, Layyah, Attock and Bahawalnagar while a mother and child centre at Mianawali would start working in March 2022.

She said that the Punjab government had allocated Rs370 billion for the improvement of the health sector in the fiscal year 2021-22, while Rs 25 billion would be provided by the federal government.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2021