Covid tightens noose: 19 dead in a day

Health minister warns second wave is deadlier

LAHORE:

Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmeen Rashid has confirmed that the second wave of coronavirus is far more dangerous than the first hit as 19 more lives were lost to the disease on Sunday.

“As many as 613 new cases were reported from various parts of Punjab within 24 hours.”

“The situation with regard to Covid was better in September but we had warned the people that the pandemic had not ended. It is now worsening by every passing day,” added the provincial health minister while addressing a press conference.

She asserted that a total of 997 Covid-19 patients were admitted in the Punjab hospitals and over 16,200 were in quarantine and isolation centres.

Meanwhile, smart lockdown has been imposed in several localities of various cities where the number of cornovirus cases is high. The provincial secretary for primary and secondary healthcare announced that the lockdown had been imposed in 26 localities of Lahore, 15 of Rawalpindi, seven of Multan, five of Layyah, four each of Sargodha and Faisalabad, three each of Gujranwala and Toba Tek Singh and two neighbourhoods of Mianwali.

All businesses and offices in the affected areas will remain closed and movement of residents will be restricted.

Dr Rashid highlighted that the healthcare personnel had suffered the most owing to their work as frontline workers. “At least 2,638 health professionals were inflicted with coronavirus.” Simultaneously, the minister claimed that the government was fulfilling its responsibilities properly and the best treatment facilities were being offered to the pandemic victims at the hospitals.

Responding to a question regarding re-infections, the minister stressed that thorough research was being conducted on such cases by experts.

She enunciated that the prime minister had granted approval to provide universal health coverage to all of the 22 million families in Punjab.

Meanwhile, during the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) daily session it was noted that the National Covid Positivity Ratio had climbed and the number of critical patients was rising at a higher pace compared to the past.

The meeting was told that out of the 273 coronavirus patients on ventilators across Pakistan, 133 were under treatment in Punjab. Lahore houses 63 Covid-19 patients on ventilators, Multan 41, Rawalpindi 25 and Faisalabad four.

“Covid Positivity Ratio in Punjab was recorded at 3.45%,” the health experts informed the forum on the disease pattern, adding that the National Covid Positivity Ratio stood slightly over 7%.

City wise data breakdown points out Rawalpindi with the highest positivity ratio of 6.8% in the province, followed by Lahore 4% and Multan 2.55%.

As per reports, at least 620 coronavirus patients are in a critical condition across Punjab, second only to Sindh with 681 patients. Official statistics also state that 2,964 oxygenated beds have been occupied by coronavirus patients in Punjab. Faisalabad has 492 patients on oxygenated beds, Lahore 433, Rawalpindi 52 and Multan 36. Experts are concerned that the increased infliction and death rate would aggravate the issues faced by the already burdened health system.

Since November 22, at least 150 people in Punjab succumbed to the pandemic, whereas over double the number recovered. An astounding number of citizens (5,114) were inflicted with the virus during the time.

Data analysis also shows high prevalence of the disease in the age bracket of 21-40 years, with nearly 70% infliction observed among males.

A spokesperson for the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) said coronavirus cases in the province tipped at 118,511 on Sunday, while the death and recovery figure were recorded at 2,979 and 98,331, respectively.

The provincial capital reported the highest number of new coronavirus cases (226) on November 29, while second in the province was Rawalpindi with 105 new cases.

Meanwhile, Young Doctors Association (YDA) leader Dr Nouman Choudhary, who recently recovered from Covid, demanded that the government provide adequate supply of protective gear to the doctors and staff.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2020.