PESHAWAR: Fatalities from Covid-19 reached over 6,200 with the passing away of nine more persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday amid less testing owing to strike by health workers involved in sample collection.
The province reported 115 new infections as ratio of sample collection and number of testing continue to fall owing to strike by the members of the rapid response teams, which has incapacitated the health department to detect cases as per target given by National Command and Operation Centre.
Swabi recorded 18 per cent positivity rate, Chitral Lower 15pc, Nowshera 13pc, Dera Ismail Khan 9pc and Kohat 8pc, a health department report said. Overall infectivity level in the province was 4.9pc, it added.
The report said that mortalities in the province from the pandemic reached 6,242, cases 216,051 and active patients 7,510. It said that 202,295 (93pc) affected people including 521 patients recorded during the last 24 hours had recovered from the infectious disease.
It said that six people succumbed to the virus in Peshawar, one each in Mardan, Swat and Chitral Lower.
A total of 2,887 suspected patients were tested, much lower than the 10,000 target per day, owing to the protest by the members of rapid response teams, who are collecting samples from suspected patients and the contacts of the affected people.
Officials said that 280 teams, each consisting of three members including a doctor, epidemiologist and paramedic, had been on strike for the last one week against non-payment of their dues of the past 13 months.
The members of the rapid response teams alleged health department was generating fake reports about Covid-19 cases as sample collection was stopped owing to their strike.
Officials of health department, however, said that they collected samples from sentinel sites established in hospitals and prepared genuine reports on daily basis.
Teams have been deployed in the field in 28 districts since the advent of the pandemic in the province.
They said that the strike affected sample collection in the province and the dues of the protesting workers were released to make sure unhampered field activities regarding Covid-19.
They added that more sampling was required to ascertain the quantum of the infections and take measures accordingly.
Officials said that World Health Organisation was starting a month-long training on infection prevention and control for nurses in Swat. It is part of the series of activities started by the world health agency since the onset of the pandemic in the province.
Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2022
