Four more deaths in Lahore push Punjab toll to 60

LAHORE: The death of four more Covid-19 patients in Lahore on Thursday raised death toll to 60, and confirmed infections to 4,706 with the addition of 116 new cases in the province.

According to details, Zakriya, 65, Imran Sabir, 30, and a 90-year-old man from Sharaqpur lost battle of life against coronavirus at Mayo Hospital, while Shaukat Ali, 60, died at Jinnah Hospital. The bodies were sent to their respective hometowns by the Edhi Foundation.

Out of total of 60 deaths in Punjab so far, 32 occurred in Lahore, 13 in Rawalpindi, five in Multan, three in Rahim Yar Khan, two each in Faislabad and Gujrat and one each in Bahawalpur, Gujranwala and Toba Tek Singh.

Out of total of 116 new cases in Punjab, 77 were confirmed in Lahore alone on Thursday including 10 members of a single family in Township area of Lahore. Besides, 17 patients of Covid-19 were confirmed from Farrukhabad locality and another 10 patients of coronavirus positive in Attari Saroba. The patients were immediately shifted to Mayo Hospital and Field Hospital at Expo Centre for treatment.

As part of the smart lockdown policy, Lahore’s district administration sealed parts of three localities including Farrukhabad, Township and Attari Saroba after emergence of dozens of new cases there.

The authorities concerned have started contact-tracing of confirmed coronavirus patients and also taken samples of several family members and residents of these localities for further investigation.

Earlier, out of total confirmed Covid-19 patients, 1,915 were members of Tablighi Jamaat, 768 pilgrims returning from Iran, 86 prisoners in nine districts and 1,937 citizens, who either had travel history or fell victim to local transmission.

Of the 1915 confirmed Covid-19 Tablighi Jamaat members, 815 were reported from Raiwind Markaz, 145 Sargodha, 126 Multan, 98 Lodhran, 67 Bhakkar, 61 Muzaffargarh, 56 Rahim Yar Khan, 54 Jhelum, 46 Vehari, 42 Bahawalpur, 38 Layyah, 35 Hafizabad, 33 Mandi Bahauddin, 32 Khushab, 30 Rawalpindi, 28 Nankana Sahib, 27 Bahawalnagar, 26 Narowal, 22 Sialkot, 21 each Gujranwala and Rajanpur, 18 Faisalabad, 16 Attock, 13 Pakpattan, 12 Sheikhupura, 10 Gujrat, eight Sahiwal, seven Narowal, six Khanewal and two Okara.

Out of 768 confirmed patients from amongst pilgrims, 457 were reported from Multan, 221 Dera Ghazi Khan, 42 Gujranwala, 25 Sargodha and 23 Faisalabad.

So far 1,937 citizens have been tested positive for the virus from across the province.

These people either have a travel history or they got infected through local transmission. The highest number of cases (849) has been reported from Lahore. As many as 195 patients were reported from Rawalpindi, 167 Gujrat, 116 Gujranwala, 85 Sialkot, 62 Rahim Yar Khan, 55 Kasur, 52 Faisalabad, 39 Multan, 38 Jhang, 37 Jhelum, 35 Vehari, 33 Sargodha, 22 DG Khan, 19 Sheikhupura, 14 Attock, 12 each Mianwali, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin, 11 each Bahawalpur and Chiniot, nine Khushab, eight Bahawalnagar, seven each Toba Tek Singh and Narowal, five each Muzaffargarh and Bhakkar, four each Chakwal and Pakpattan, three each Khanewal, Okara and Lodhran, two Layyah and one Nankana Sahib.

Out of 86 Covid-19 patients in jails, 59 were reported from Lahore, nine DG Khan, seven Gujranwala, three each Sialkot and Jhelum, two Bhakkar and one each from Faisalabad, Kasur and Hafizabad.

A spokesperson for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) said that a total of 66,030 tests had been performed in the province so far. He said that 905 patients had recovered and sent to their homes. He said that 20 serious patients were under treatment at High Dependency Units. He said that those with no or mild symptoms are at quarantine centres and isolation wards of public sector hospitals. He urged people to stay at home, frequently wash hands and use hand sanitizer. He advised social distancing and adopting precautionary measures while attending sick family members.