Covid infection rate drops to 1.49% in Rawalpindi

The coronavirus test-to-positivity ratio has dropped to 1.49 per cent in Rawalpindi but the health experts advise the continued implementation of SOPs, stating that it is still necessary.

There are only 24 patients at present receiving treatment in the three big public hospitals including Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant, while some 679,000 citizens have been vaccinated.

The health officials said that no covid-related deaths were reported during the past 24 hours. Of 24 patients under treatment in hospitals, 19 are on oxygen and five are on ventilator support, they added.

The management of all three hospitals is deliberating that if the positivity rate remains one per cent or below in the next 10 days, the dedicated wards and intensive care units (ICUs) and Covid-19 testing system would be confined to a single hospital. This will be done to focus on the treatment of other ailments and diseases in the remaining two hospitals.

In this regard, the RIUKT management said that the announcement regarding the end of the third wave of the coronavirus would be done by the Punjab health department. Following this, the OPD, emergency, and dialysis unit in the hospital would be activated.

District Health Authority (DHA) Chef Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Faiza Kanwal said they have Pfizer, Sinovac, and Cansino vaccines available in their stock at vaccination centres.

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She added that the Sinopharm vaccine is also available in limited quantity while the Pfizer vaccine is being administered too as they don't have AstraZeneca.

DHA CEO said 679,012 citizens have been inoculated to date and the vaccination process is still active.

Meanwhile, health experts Dr Bashir Ahmed Malik, Dr Israr-ul-Haq and Dr Zia-ur-Rehman urged the people to beware and not consider that the pandemic has concluded. They said all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be implemented and people should not delay getting themselves immunised against the virus.

However, 30 new Covid-19 patients were reported in the last 24 hours in the district. Of these eight belonged to Rawal Town, eight were from Potohar town, five from Rawalpindi Cantt, three from Murree, and one each from Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan, Taxila, Attock, Mianwali and AJK.

At present, 34 confirmed patients are admitted to various hospitals in the city. The break-up 11 are admitted in Holy Family Hospital, 10 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital, six in Institute of Urology and seven in Fauji Foundation Hospital.

According to the daily situation report issued by the District Corona Management Centre, one patient was on a ventilator in critical condition, 12 are stable and 21 in moderate condition.

The District Health Authority has said that so far 679,012 people including 30,966 health workers and 648,046 senior citizens have been vaccinated across the district since the vaccination drive was launched in March.

Furthermore, on the directives of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) director general, a vaccination campaign was started on Sunday for employees of RDA and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).

According to a spokesperson, a special centre has been set up at the RDA office where Covid-19 vaccinations are being carried out for all employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2021.