Pindi almost ‘Covid-19 free’

With an effective lockdown strategy, the garrison city is about to be declared ‘coronavirus free’. The Rawalpindi district officials said that they would review the condition and official figures until August 15 before making an announcement.

This is because of the waning of the virus cases in the city as Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) is the only healthcare facility in which some 13 infected patients are under treatment.

The two remaining allied hospitals, including District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and Holy Family Hospital (HFH), as well as the field hospitals, have no coronavirus patients. However, as a precaution, the administration would review the situation of new cases after Eidul Azha. Sources told The Express Tribune that even attaining virus-free status, the coronavirus emergency would remain enforced in Rawalpindi while BBH would keep upholding the status of Covid-19 Management Hospital.

RIUKT to regains status

The Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT), which had been designated as a coronavirus treatment hospital soon after the outbreak of the pandemic, will regain its status within next 10 days, officials said.

At the height of the pandemic, there were 300 patients under treatment at the facility, whereas presently there were only three left in the quarantine ward who had been transferred from Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

RIUKT Medical Superintendent Dr Khalid Mehmood Randhawa said that Although, RIUKT will lose its status as Covid-19 hospital, the process of kidney transplant was unlikely to start in the near future.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2020.