Rawalpindi reports 8 more Covid deaths

137 fresh cases surface in last 24 hours

RAWALPINDI:

According to fresh data released by the District Health Authority, 137 new infections with 128 belonging to Rawalpindi and nine from outside the district were reported while eight people lost their lives to the deadly virus on Sunday.

The patients reported during the last 24 hours include 23 from Rawal Town, 20 from Potohar Town, 32 from Rawalpindi Cantt, seven from Gujar Khan, 24 from Kahuta, three from Kallar Syedan, 16 from Taxila, two from Murree, two from Attock and one each from Kotli Sattian, Islamabad, Chakwal and Mianwali.

Presently, 224 confirmed patients were admitted to various facilities of the city with 51 at Holy Family Hospital, 35 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, 78 at Institute of Urology, 35 at Fauji Foundation Hospital, five at District Headquarter Hospital, four each at Bilal and Hearts International hospitals, two at Akhtar Rukhsana Memorial Trust and one at Attock hospital, it added.

The report further maintained that five patients were on ventilators in critical condition while 100 were stable and 119 were on oxygen. As many as 28,251 vaccine doses were administered in the past 24 hours in Rawalpindi while the total district tally of coronavirus vaccination reached 1,685,810.

Meanwhile, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ehsan Ghani said that around 54 per cent of the population above 18 years of age has been vaccinated so far under the ongoing anti-covid vaccination drive in the district.

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He stated that the population of Rawalpindi district aged 18 years and above was around three million out of which 1.68 million people have been inoculated against coronavirus.

He added that the set target to cover 70 per cent population above 18 years would be achieved soon. Dr Ghani said that Rawalpindi was one of the eight districts of Punjab where a vaccination campaign was being carried out at the Union Council level.

The DHO urged the residents to get themselves jabbed at the earliest as the vaccination was the only way to control the spread of the deadly virus.

Six more areas go under smart lockdown

The government of Punjab has decided to impose micro-smart lockdown in six more areas of Rawalpindi.

Provincial Secretary Health Sara Aslam notified on Sunday that micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in six more hot spots owing to a surge in cases to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the district.

The government has decided to restrict movement in Rawalpindi hot spots till August 24, a top health official said.

“All markets, restaurants, government and private offices will remain closed in the mentioned hot spots,” the secretary maintained. The people in locked-down areas can only go out for groceries and medicines, she stated.

All religious, cultural and private gatherings will also be prohibited in the affected areas, she added. However, funeral prayers and other essential religious rituals will be allowed, according to the notification released.