LAHORE: The Covid-19 is spreading fast in Punjab as record 1,886 new positive cases were reported in the province during the last 24 hours.

It is the highest number of cases reported during the last three months or so, and the official data indicates that the fifth Covid wave is heading its peak.

The official figures say the infectivity rate of the virus in Lahore and Rawalpindi has reached 17.9 and 17.5, respectively. Such an alarming level was reported during the peak of the 4th wave of the pandemic.

The ratio was also increasing in other major cities of Punjab as Faisalabad reported 5.6, while in Multan it is 4.9 percent.

Of the new positive cases recorded in Punjab, 1,238 were found in Lahore, and 347 in Rawalpindi, the cities showing massive disease burden.

The total number of positive cases in Punjab has reached 458,925, according to the official figures released by the health department here on Friday.

The reports from teaching hospitals in the provincial capital suggest these institutes were reaching their capacity as the number of virus patients were increasing tremendously.

The bed occupancy in the intensive care units (ICUs) and the high dependency units (HDUs) of the hospitals has increased because of a large number of patients with Covid complications reporting there.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2022