Fresh cases spark fears of Covid resurgence

Top three Peshawar hospitals put on high alert

ISLAMABAD:

The top three hospitals of Peshawar on Monday were put on high alert after they reported over 20 coronavirus cases over the last two days amid the spread of the new Delta variant.

According to the hospital staff, Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital, and Hayatabad Medical Complex in the last couple of days have reported an increase in the new Covid-19 cases. They said the empty beds in the Covid ward have again started filling.

Elaborating the tally, they said the Khyber Teaching Hospital has 36 beds – out of the total 106 – occupied by Covid patients. They added that four patients are in the ICU and four new ones were admitted to the hospital in one day.

With over 140,818 contagion cases, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is the third most infected province in the country, as per the daily statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

The Hayatabad Medical Complex administration has allocated as many as 204 beds for the treatment of virus patients. Around 58 patients are admitted to the hospital, five are in the ICU, and eight new patients were admitted the other day.

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Moreover, Lady Reading Hospital has also reported an uptick in Covid patients with over 81 new infected patients. The staff said the hospital has allotted 400 beds for the specialised ward and 10 new patients were admitted to the hospital over the last two days.

Hospital sources said that all the hospitals have once again been put on high alert in the wake of new Covid cases. Furthermore, the administrations have also started reviewing its policy in this regard. Sources added that the corona task force and corona complex are also alerted.

Meanwhile, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Health Department has issued new advisory guidelines to the staff of hospitals and medical centres following the spread of the new Indian variant of Covid-19 – better known as Delta.

The government has made it mandatory for the medical staff, doctors and their family members to get vaccinated, whereas staff, who feel sick, are advised to take a day off and stay home.

Sources said that as many as 17,000 health workers were infected with the coronavirus in the country – out of which 3,982 were in K-P. This staff from K-P included 46% doctors, 39% paramedic staff, and 14% other medical staff.

Apart from the Delta variant, they added that the African and UK variants of the contagion were also prevalent in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2021.