RAWALPINDI: The district of Rawalpindi on Sunday reported the lowest ever confirmed Covid-19 cases as only eight patients admitted to government hospitals tested positive.

Two of the new cases also belonged to other districts.

However, 130 suspected patients at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), Holy Family Hospital HFH), District Headquarters Hospital and the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) are waiting for their test results.

“Samples of the patients have been sent to the National Institute of Health, BBH and HFH laboratories but due to rush the results will be received on Monday or Tuesday evening,” a senior official of the BBH told Dawn.

He said 20 new patients had arrived on Sunday with Covid-19 symptoms, 56 patients on Saturday and 11 on Friday, and their test results were yet to be received.

The daily capacity of testing in Rawalpindi is still 110, he added.

Two of the new cases belong to other districts, officials say

These patients are kept in isolation and if their results come negative they would be discharged otherwise serious patients would be shifted to RIU and the stable ones would also have the option to isolate themselves for 14 days in their homes, he said.

Meanwhile, 70 patients were discharged from hospitals on Sunday and no death was reported.

The number of confirmed patients in the district reached 6,498 while 274 people have died and 5,807 others recovered and discharged from the four hospitals.

Total 417 confirmed patients are under treatment, including 207 in the four.

As many as 210 patients are also isolated in their homes as they had no symptoms of Covid-19.

Apart from this, 130 suspected patients were also brought to hospitals and their samples have been sent for test and results are awaited.

The local administrations also keep 6,610 people on quarantine who had been close contacts of the confirmed patients.

As many as 10 district health authority teams have been deployed to check the patients isolated in 753 houses.

On the other hand, the district administration on Sunday sealed 24 shops and imposed Rs37,000 fines on others for violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Four vehicles were impounded and the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) imposed Rs12,500 fines on public transporters for violating SOPs.

Moreover, 10 vehicle owners were issued warnings.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said the district administrations in the Rawalpindi division had been directed to ensure implementation of the SOPs in the cattle markets.

He said there was slow testing in hospitals as all suspected patients had to go through the Covid-19 serology without any delay and till the arrival of the reports these patients are isolated as per the protocol issued by World Health Organisation and the Punjab government.

However, he said, the number of critical patients had reduced which was a good sign and fewer people required ventilators and oxygen.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2020