Covid cases surge in schools

More 236 people test positive for viral infection in capital

ISLAMABAD:

The educational institutions opened after prolonged closures have again proved to be a hotbed of novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infection.

At least eight people have tested positive for Covid-19 infection in three educational institutions of the federal capital, prompting the office of the District Health Officer (DHO) to recommend sealing and disinfection of the facilities.

District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) for the closure of institutions.

According to DHO, three coronavirus cases were reported from a private school’s Metropolitan Campus in Sector G-11/3 and Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) in Sector I-9/1. Two positive cases surfaced from Islamabad College for Girls (ICFG) in Sector F-6/2.

DHO Zia in his letter to the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamza Shafqaat has suggested sealing the related educational institutions immediately.

DHO said that the students and staffers of the related schools must be tested for coronavirus under Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) while those who were in contact with the infected patients must observe two-week quarantine.

Meanwhile, 236 more people have tested positive for Covid-19 infection in the capital during the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Tuesday.

According to an official of NCOC, as many as 221 cases were reported on Monday while 190 cases were reported on Sunday.

He said so far 45,976 cases were reported from the federal capital while 511 deaths were reported from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). He said 43,134 patients had been recovered completely.

Commenting on the situation, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services advised the citizens to continue following the social distancing, use of mask and other precautionary measures to stop increasing local transmission of Covid-19 in the city.

He said the government had adopted an effective strategy to combat the pandemic that resulted in a reduction in coronavirus cases in the country. He said a strategy was made to control coronavirus keeping in view the global information, focusing on data with integration of local data in a scientific way.

Health workers

Some 9,434 frontline healthcare workers in Islamabad have been vaccinated so far against coronavirus, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

Some 20,052 healthcare workers have registered themselves for immunisation while 12,597 are scheduled to get the anti-Covid shots.

According to official figures, some 1,286 medical and paramedical staff of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital have received jabs while 2,934 of 5,240 registered healthcare workers of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have been vaccinated.

Further, some 772 of 1,865 registered healthcare workers of Poly Clinic Hospital (PCH) have been administered coronavirus vaccine along with 479 of 1,536 frontline workers of Bhara Kahu Rural Health Centre (RCH).

The number of medical workers immunised in Tarlai RCH is 2,930 of total 4,341 and 1,007 of 3,560 of Federal General Hospital Chak Shehzad have received coronavirus vaccine jabs too.

The lowest number has been recorded in Sihala RCH where only 26 frontline workers have been vaccinated so far of a total of 1,034.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2021.