11.9% Covid positivity sets off alarm bells in K-P

Around 7,000 tests being conducted per day throughout the province

PESHAWAR:

The ratio of positive cases during the third wave of coronavirus in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has reached an alarming rate of 11.9 per cent.

Peshawar has been the most affected throughout the province with a positive ratio of almost 28 per cent. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Health Minister Tamur Saleem Jhagra and Special Assistant to CM on Information and Higher Education Kamran Bangash requested the traders’ community to strictly observe the SOPs devised by the government in order to help contain the surge in cases across the province.

They said the rate of positive cases in Mardan was 12 per cent, Swat 26 per cent, Nowshera 19 per cent, Swabi 11 per cent, Malakand 12 per cent, Bunner 16 percent and Bajaur 11 per cent. “The number of tests being carried out in the province has reached 7,000 per day which is way higher than Punjab and Sindh,” he said, adding that the current situation of the prevailing coronavirus has put tremendous pressure on the availability of beds at hospitals in certain sensitive districts.

Replying to a question about the availability of beds at hospitals in the province, Jhagra said that there were 259 low foor beds, 523 HDU beds, 105 ICU beds and 44 ventilators that were already in use. “Around 150 more beds will be added in hospitals in Peshawar, Mardan and Swat from next week situation.”

Nine lives lost in K-P

Nine people lost their lives due to Covid-19 in K-P on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to 2,283 so far. Around 979 new cases have reported. Seven people died in Peshawar, one in Swabi and one in Kohat. On the other hand, 430 people have also successfully recovered across the province.