One dead, 140 infected by virus in twin cities

Health authorities reiterate warnings of second wave of Covid-19

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:

The disregard for precautionary measures has allowed the waning novel coronavirus (Covid-19) to resurface in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with a fatality associated with the pandemic disease recorded on Thursday along with confirmations of 140 new infections.

Government data released on Thursday showed that a patient succumbed to the virus while 19 people tested positive for it in Rawalpindi.

The number of positive cases recorded so far in Rawalpindi has risen to 7,367. Of these, 6,886 patients have made a full recovery.

In the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 122 people tested positive for the pandemic virus.

Data from the district health authorities showed that among the new infections, the virus had been detected amongst 71 men and 51 women.

So far, a total of 18,438 Covid-19 patients have been confirmed in Islamabad. Of these 16,970 have beaten the virus.

Some 201 casualties have been reported in the federal capital while 394 people have died of the pandemic virus in Rawalpindi.

Rawal Town in the garrison city has been hit by the virus the hardest with 2,605 cases, followed by 1,520 in cantonments and 1,493 in Potohar Town.

Kotli Satiiyan and Kalar Syedan were the safest during the pandemic, reporting just 60 and 61 cases respectively.

As per an official report, Karachi recorded the highest number of deaths, 2,159, from the infections since the pandemic came to the country.

Beware of second wave

Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Nausheen Hamid on Thursday warned people that the second wave of Covid-19 may grip the country as the weather grows cold while cases continue to rise.

She assured that her ministry is ready to cope with a possible second wave of the virus but advised the public to wear facemasks and avoid unnecessary visits to public places to avert the virus.

Hamid said there are fears that the next wave could be deadlier than the first.

She warned that strict measures could be initiated to contain the virus if people do not stop defying government guidelines, as the country’s Covid-19 infection rate has soared past 2% when compared to the rate in recent weeks.

The parliamentary secretary said that the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) is closely monitoring the situation and if no improvement in SOPs compliance is observed, the body will have no choice but to impose strict measures leading to further lockdowns.

She stressed that while Pakistan has been successful in battling the pandemic in the first phase, it is still important for the public to keep following the SOPs.

Hamid mentioned that after reopening marriage halls and other public places, crowds could be seen flocking these places which is the major reason for the rise in cases across the country and which has lead to the second wave of Covid-19.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2020.