Another quarantine facility to be operational in district today

Rawalpindi : The situation regarding spread of disease caused by 2019 novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is under control according to claims being made by concerned health authorities though the Punjab health department is going to make another coronavirus quarantine facility operational on Monday at University of Engineering and Technology in Taxila.

The third quarantine facility in the district being established at UET Taxila, according to health department, is capable of accommodating over 600 persons in need of quarantine. Earlier the health department has made two quarantine facilities operational for over 500 persons at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and Fatima Jinnah Women University.

Not a single person is in quarantine at any of the two quarantine facilities in Rawalpindi however we are going to establish another quarantine facility at Rawalpindi Women University in Satellite Town which would be fourth district level quarantine facility, said Executive District Officer (Health) Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’ on Sunday.

At tehsil level, he added the health department has already established quarantine facilities in Tehsil Gujar Khan and Tehsil Murree while establishment of other tehsil level coronavirus quarantine facilities in the district are in pipeline.

In last 24 hours or so, Benazir Bhutto Hospital received two suspected patients of COVID-19 from Taxila of which one has already been declared negative while result in second case is being awaited, he said.

When asked why no person has been put under quarantine at the facilities established in the district, he said the health department is being told that the quarantine facilities are being established to keep persons in quarantine who would reach Pakistan from Zahedan in Iran.

It is important that two confirmed patients of COVID-19 have been undergoing treatment at Corona Management Centre established at Rawal­pindi Institute of Urology in Ra­wal­pindi wh­i­le Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has so far received as many as 11 confirmed patients of the disease of which two have been discharged.

Dr. Sohail said individuals in the region should keep themselves in self-quarantine at homes at least for 15 days and no person should come out of home unless it is not avoidable.

It is worth mentioning here that Daily Situation Report on COVID-19 updated once after every 24 hours by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division (FEDSD), National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad show that 30 per cent more confirmed patients adding up to the existing pool every day. The report was showing 495 confirmed patients in Pakistan on Saturday while 646 on Sunday.

According to a number of experts, 30 per cent or more increase in number of existing patients of COVID-19 per day was registered in the countries severely hit by the disease’ outbreak including China, Italy and Iran. Such a trend in Pakistan is alarming, the experts say.

Meanwhile, people in this region of the country, in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have not been following the protocol of self-isolation instead there have been reports of marriage ceremonies and public gatherings being held at farm houses, hotels and marriage halls even in the federal capital.