Isolated Torghar records 50% positivity ratio

The Covid-19 positivity ratio has reached an alarming 50 per cent in the far-flung Torghar district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

Officials of the health department told The Express Tribune that the positivity ratio in the isolated mountainous district of Torghar had reached 50 per cent, followed by 23 per cent in Upper Chitral. Similarly, this ratio is 15 per cent in Peshawar, 14 per cent in Karak and 13 per cent in Mardan district.

In eight districts of the province no case has been reported.

The overall positivity ration across the province has reached 5.5 percent.

The highly contentious Delta variant is the main cause for concern as it played havoc in the neighboring India just months ago, claiming thousands of lives as the health system collapsed in that country due to large number of patients at the hospitals.

Health Director General, Dr Niaz Muhammad said that due to this alarming rise in the number of new cases, they had also increased the pace of the vaccination in the province.

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“So far more than 6.5 million people have been vaccinated in K-P. There are a total of 878 vaccination centres in the province including 49 mobile vaccination vans and 34 mass vaccination centres,” he informed, adding that a door to door vaccination campaign was also underway in five most affected districts.

On the other hand, the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar has introduced strict measures at its premises as the entry of all those people have been banned in the hospital who have not been vaccinated.

“The attendants of the patients will be allowed if they are vaccinated,” said an official, adding that at the Out Patients Department (OPD) only those patients were checked by specialists who have vaccination certificate issued by NADRA.

“All the staffers have been strictly instructed to follow Covid-19 related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in the hospital keep themselves and others safe,” said the officials, adding that there was a rapid spread of the infection in the only safeguard against it was the vaccination so they had taken steps to encourage people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

The number of unnecessary visitors in the hospital has been reduced to a minimum and only one attendant is allowed with the patients.