RAWALPINDI: For some families, the new year started on a tragic note as seven people lost their struggle against Covid-19 in the twin cities while another 223 were infected on Friday.

In Rawalpindi, five patients succumbed to the virus and 37 people tested positive. As many as 18 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering.

Shamshad Begum, 66, a resident of Dhoke Chaudhrian, Farooq-i-Azam Road, had been under treatment in Fauji Foundation Hospital since Dec 21 but died on Friday.

Dilbar Shah, 87, a resident of Railway Scheme, was brought to Bilal Hospital on Dec 31 where he succumbed to the virus on Friday.

Abdul Hafeez, 62, from Teli Mohallah, died on Thursday night at Benazir Bhutto Hospital where he had been admitted on Dec 31. Mohammad Latif, 75, could not survive and breathed his last at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology on Friday. He was a resident of Gulshan-i-Irfan, Double Road, and was brought to the hospital on Dec 31.

Resham Jan, 84, from Gujar Khan, died on Friday at Fauji Foundation Hospital where she had been under treatment since Dec 30.

According to statistics, there were 880 active patients in the district with 113 being treated in the hospitals.A total of eight patients are on ventilators out of whom four were in Holy Family Hospital, one in Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and three in Benazir Bhutto Hospital. As many as 78 patients required oxygen with 28 in Holy Family Hospital, 20 in Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and 30 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the mortality rate in Rawalpindi had been increasing as 301 people had passed away from Covid-19 between Oct 10 and Dec 31. He said 11 people died on Dec 2 alone, which was the highest figure in the district in 2020.

Islamabad

Officials of the capital administration said Islamabad saw a rise in the number of confirmed cases as well as positivity rate. On Friday, 186 people contracted the virus compared to 146 reported a day earlier.

During the last 24 hours, 4,449 tests were conducted and the results of 105 males and 81 females came back positive, the officials said, adding that the positivity rate was recorded at 4.9pc on Friday as against 3.2pc on Thursday.

Two patients died in Islamabad, one in Pims and the other in FGPC. Both were male and in the age groups of 70-79 and 90-99. They were residents of G-10 and G-13.

As many as 11 cases each were reported from G-6, G-7 and Kurri, followed by 10 each from Lohi Bher and G-13, nine from I-8 and F-10, eight from Tarlai, seven each from Bhara Kahu, E-11 and F-6, six cases from G-9 and Chak Shahzad, five cases each from Rawat, I-10, Khanna, Sohan and Kirpa, four each from F-8 and F-11, three cases each from G-11, G-8, Alipur, Sihala and Rawal Town, two each from Koral, G-14, E-7, D-12 and B-17, one case each from G-10, G-5, G-15, Chirrah, Tarnol, Bari Imam, F-5, I-14, H-8, E-8 and H-9, the officials said.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2021