Most current Covid patients aged over 50

The spread of Covid-19 is reaching an alarming level in Punjab as 419 people have lost their lives to the disease and 11,836 new patients have been confirmed in the province during the first 18 days of the current year.

The second wave of coronavirus is proving more dangerous for people above 50 years of age, while the major reason for the spread of the disease is lack of implementation of the precautionary standard operating procedures (SOPs), health experts have warned. Hospital officials confirmed that a majority of the patients were over 50 years old.

The Punjab health department is still following the policy of smart lockdown to cope with the situation. Imposition of lockdown in more localities of Lahore and Gujranwala was announced on Monday.

Expressing disappointment over the effectiveness of the efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic, and official of the department said 11,836 new patients had been brought to the government and private hospitals in the province during the past 18 days and 419 of them had died.

On Monday, at least 560 new cases were reported in hospitals across the province, while 23 patients died.

According to a spokesman for the Secondary and Primary Healthcare Department, in all 4,432 coronavirus patients have died in Punjab, while 149,782 confirmed cases of the disease have been reported.

"It has been observed that now those above 50 years old are mostly suffering from coronavirus and patients from this age group are coming to hospitals in critical condition. We are receiving patients in critical condition at hospitals.

At this time, 403 patients are admitted in Lahore's hospitals,”Mayo Hospital Chief Executive Dr Asad Aslam said. He told The Express Tribune that the highest number of patients was in Mayo Hospital and almost all of them were on oxygen beds. “We cannot keep them without oxygen support as their condition is serious and critical.

Patients are arriving in critical condition and we are also admitting those whose condition is deemed serious. The patients suspecting the disease in earlier stages usually do not come to hospitals for treatment.

It has been observed that about 90 per cent of the patients admitted at the hospital are above 50 years of age,” he added.

However, Coronavirus Advisory Committee Chairman Professor Mahmood Shoukat said, “There is an average situation regarding coronavirus in the province as the situation is not worsening, but we are also not in a position to claim that we are controlling its spread.

It is a fact that the whole world could not bring the disease under control but it is a positive thing that with our efforts and steps we are controlling Covid’s spread from reaching the level that was being expected earlier. We are also moving ahead with the world and making efforts.

The number of patients increased but the case is similar te world over, including the US and UK. Actually the spread of the pandemic depends on people’s behaviour and we are seeing that they are ignoring the SOPs.

I personally visit the city to observe the situation and I am disappointed over the implementation of the safety measures.

However, the ratio of prevalence of the disease is low under the circumstances,” he added.

"The history of such diseases shows that they spread initially till they reach the highest level and are ultimately curbed after the preparation of vaccines. Till the vaccine is available,we have to wait and try to follow the SOPs,” said Dr Zarafshan Tahir, Dean Institute of Public Health.

The spokesperson for the health department, Sayed Hamad Raza, said, “Now with the opening of schools in the province we are monitoring implementation of the SOPs and will close all schools that will not follow the instructions.”

The spokesperson said 2,179 beds with oxygen and 665 ventilators were available for patients in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2021.