LAHORE: The total number of confirmed cases of dengue reached 6,189 in Punjab as 402 more people tested positive for the virus during the last 24 hours.

Of the new cases, 319 were reported alone in Lahore which has become a dengue hotspot in Punjab, taking the city’s tally to 4,539 so far.

According to the health department, the government has expanded the bed capacity of hospitals in Lahore to provide treatment facilities to a maximum number of dengue patients. Presently 3,286 beds have been allocated for dengue patients in Punjab’s government-run hospitals, including 1,110 in Lahore.

Meanwhile, as per official data, the Covid cases are continuously on the decline in Punjab as it reported 256 new infections and 12 deaths during the last 24 hours. The positivity rate of the virus was reported 1.4pc in Punjab, while it was 3.7pc in Lahore, 1.2pc each in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad and 1.3pc in Multan.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2021