COVID-19 claims two more lives in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi : COVID-19, the disease caused by 2019 novel coronavirus claimed two more lives here in the district at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) in last 24 hours taking total number of deaths so far caused by the illness to four apart from one death at Military Hospital in town and one death in the federal capital.

The number of confirmed patients of COVID-19 is continuously on the rise in this region of the country as another eight patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in last 24 hours taking total number of confirmed patients belonging to the region to 213.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday reveals that a female confirmed patient of COVID-19 aged around 43 years, who was a resident of Kalyam Awan in Tehsil Gujjar Khan died of the disease on Friday. The patient who reached Pakistan from France last month had been undergoing treatment at BBH.

The second patient died of COVID-19 on Friday was also a female who got admitted to BBH with history of hypertension and asthma. She was a resident of Taxila.

In last 24 hours, three more patients have been tested positive in Rawalpindi of which two are from Potohar Town and one from Taxila, Wah Cantonment taking total number of confirmed patients of the disease from the district to 106, said Executive District Officer (Health) Rawalpindi Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday.

He added the patients tested positive from Potohar Town have returned from UK few days back while one from Taxila has spent days with ‘Tableeghi Jamaat’.

He said a total of 31 persons who belong to ‘Tableeghi Jamaat’ have been under quarantine at the government quarantine facilities including Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and University of Engineering and Technology Taxila while another 111 who are contacts of suspected or confirmed patients of COVID-19 are under quarantine at their homes.

In last 24 hours, as many as 13 persons belonging to ‘Tableeghi Jamaat’ have been cleared from quarantine facilities while another 99, majority of which were quarantined at homes have completed their quarantine period, he said.

Meanwhile, in the federal capital, as many as five more patients have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 taking total number of confirmed patients belonging to Islamabad Capital Territory to 107 of which 10 have recovered while one lost life due to the disease. Number of active cases of the coronavirus illness in ICT on Friday was 96 according to the official figure released by the Command and Control Centre.