Daily Covid toll in Punjab tops 45

On average three out of five deaths in Pakistan reported in Punjab

LAHORE:

The authorities on Tuesday confirmed, the highest number of deaths in a day across Punjab since the second coronavirus wave hit, as 45 persons succumbed to the virus within 24 hours.

The province also witnessed a surge in the number of new covid inflictions. At least 543 more persons were ascertained coronavirus positive by the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD).

The spokesperson for the department warned that the death ratio was ‘too high’ and the people must understand the deadly risk posed by Covid-19 and undertake precautionary measures.

“With 45 new deaths, the total death toll has climbed to 3,036 in Punjab,” he added, asserting that the highest number of deaths were reported from the provincial capital.

In Lahore, 219 new covid patients were confirmed in a day despite the implementation of micro lockdowns in various parts of the city.

Similarly, new patients were reported in various other districts including Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.

Official sources stated that overall 1,995,667 persons were tested for the virus out of which 119,578 were tested positive.

Speaking to the Express Tribune, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said, “The prevailing situation is very dangerous and only precautions can save us from the virus. We can defeat any sort of disease by following standard operating procedures (SOPs) therefore people must follow health and safety instructions.”

“Citizens should use facemasks to reduce infection risk by 70%,” the minister instructed.

“As the health minister of Punjab, I request the opposition parties to stop political gatherings for larger public interest,” she added.

Dr Yasmin further said that the ongoing political processions and meetings were risking the lives of people and supplementing the spread of covid.

Contesting the claim, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Punjab leader Azma Bukhari said that the government should not use pandemic as an excuse to stop opposition parties from holdings rallies.

She questioned as to why coronavirus does not spread when the ruling party held its events?

The political veteran was also wary of how ‘skillfully’ the government ignored implementation of SOPs at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) congregations in Sindh.

On the other hand, in yet another National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting, the officials expressed deep concern over the worsening pandemic.

City-wise coronavirus positivity ratio indicated that Gujranwala had positivity ratio of 0.38%, Lahore 3.19%, Faisalabad 9.25%, Rawalpindi 9.27%, and Multan a whopping 10.66%.

The National Covid Positivity Ratio on Tuesday was recorded at around 6% whereas 2,165 coronavirus patients were deemed critical across the country.

Countrywide 282 coronavirus patients were on ventilators out of which in Punjab 63 people were on the ventilators in Lahore, followed by 41 patients in Multan, 26 in Rawalpindi and four in Faisalabad. The 134 patients on ventilators in Punjab amount to around 48% of the country’s total.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Mayo Hospital Senior Medical Officer Dr Salman Kazmi explained that the patients are shifted on to the ventilator as a last resort.

“The chances of their survival are extremely limited owing to the severe lung damage inflicted by the virus. Most of the patients who put on ventilators expired,” he detailed.

It is worth mentioning that at the present the province has 467 critical patients of covid undergoing treatment at the different government and private hospitals.

“After getting the news of so many deaths today, people must understand the gravity of the situation and avoid going out unnecessarily,” Syed Hammad Raza, the spokesperson for the provincial health department, stressed.

He pointed out that 60 covid deaths were confirmed in the country during the last 24 hours, out of which, 45 deceased hailed from Punjab.

Moreover, in November, 418 lives were lost to coronavirus in the province, data available on the official government website reveals.

Data mining further demonstrates that out of every five persons losing their life to the pandemic, three belonged to Punjab. Healthcare workers have called on the government to introduce stricter lockdowns to protect the lives of the citizens.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2020.