The novel coronavirus caused another seven fatalities in Rawalpindi on Sunday while the number of active cases continues to rise. Three patients each succumbed to the virus at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Liver Transplant (RIUKT) while one patient died at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), an official stated.
Some 256 patients are receiving treatment in these hospitals and among them, 206 are on oxygen, and nine were on ventilators, the official said, adding that owing to a rapid increase in the number of patients dependent on oxygen tanks, the system is under pressure.
Furthermore, in light of rising coronavirus cases in the garrison city, at least ten areas have been put under smart lockdowns.
According to a notification issued by the local administration, lockdowns have been imposed in Tabarak Line, Adiala Road, Judicial Apartments Civil Line, Kashmir House Mundra, Mohalla Gulshan, Kamalabad street no 3, Peshawar Road line no 5, Wah Cantt, Gujar Khan, Hashmi Colony and other localities. The lockdown will stay in place till April 27.
District Health Authority (DHA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Faiza Kanwal said that the third wave of the pandemic virus has intensified. She stressed that eligible citizens should get themselves vaccinated immediately and avoid leaving homes unnecessarily. She further urged the citizens to wear face masks and use sanitisers besides following all other precautionary guidelines.
Meanwhile, Covid cases continued to surge in the federal capital as 650 more tested positive in a day. According to an official of NCOC, as many as 241 cases were reported on Saturday while 599 cases were reported on Friday.
He said so far 69,556 cases were reported and 636 deaths have occurred in the federal capital while 56,399 patients have recovered completely.
Hospitals under pressure
About 519 infected patients are currently under treatment in the hospitals across the federal capital while five people have died of Covid in a day, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said. The District Health Office (DHO) reported that 279 of them were locals while the remaining 240 are residents of surrounding areas.
DHO said that the daily rate of infection was on the rise in Islamabad and it was resulting in additional pressure on the hospitals. He added that some 463 patients were receiving treatment on oxygen; among them, 255 hailed from the Islamabad while 208 were from other areas.
Moreover, Dr Zia informed that about 56 patients are on ventilators, adding that 806 beds are currently allocated for coronavirus patients in Islamabad out of which 514 are occupied while 292 are vacant. The hospitals have 112 ventilators and 56 of them are being used as of now, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 19th, 2021.
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