COVID-19 claims 4 more lives in twin cities

Rawalpindi : The coronavirus illness, COVID-19 outbreak that is getting more and more intense with every passing day has claimed another four lives here in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in last 24 hours taking the total number of deaths so far caused by coronavirus to 112 in the twin cities while another 134 patients have been tested positive from the region taking the tally to 4,273.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Friday has revealed that the number of patients tested positive for COVID-19 in the region has been showing a tremendous upward trend particularly for the last three weeks.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on February 26 in the federal capital while on March 20 in Rawalpindi district and it took nearly two months for the disease to infect first thousand people in the twin cities as on May 4, the total number of confirmed patients from the region was 1,048.

In the next 10 days, the number jumped to 2,138, till May 14 while the third thousand patients were confirmed in only eight days as on May 22, the number of confirmed patients from the twin cities reached 3,167. And it is much alarming that the fourth thousand cases were tested positive in only six days as on May 28, the number rose to 4,139.

Despite all this, no serious measures were taken to control the spread of the disease as in the last three weeks, the partial lockdown was relaxed twice, once on May 9 and then on May 22 for Eidul Fitr.

The virus claimed one life in Rawalpindi district at Benazir Bhutto Hospital in last 24 hours while three more lives in Islamabad Capital Territory. The patient died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in the district was a resident of Rawal Town from where well over 40 deaths have so far been reported due to the disease.

Death of another patient on Friday took the total number of deaths so far caused by the COVID-19 in the district to 90 while another 49 patients have been tested positive from the district in the last 24 hours. To date, a total of 2173 patients have been tested positive for the disease from the district while on Friday, there were 436 patients undergoing treatment at the healthcare facilities in town.

A total of 719 confirmed patients of COVID-19 have been discharged from the hospitals in town after treatment while as many as 932 confirmed patients have been in isolation at their homes, said Executive District Officer (Health) Rawalpindi Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’ on Friday.

He said another 2174 persons have been under quarantine at their homes in the district while some 891 persons have been relieved as they have completed 14-day quarantine.

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, as many as 85 more patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 in ICT taking the total number of confirmed patients of the disease from the federal capital to 2,100. After recovery of nine more patients in the ICT, the total number of patients so far recovered from the disease in the federal capital reached 161 while the infection has already claimed 22 lives in ICT.

According to the official figure released by National Command and Control Centre, the number of active cases of COVID-19 was 1,917 in ICT on Friday.