COVID-19 claims 5 more lives, another 139 test positive

Rawalpindi : Coronavirus claimed another five lives here in Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district in last 24 hours taking death toll from the region to 502 while another 139 patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 from the region taking tally to 24960.

It is important that over four deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in a day from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Wednesday after 100 days as on July 12, six deaths due to the illness along with 129 confirmed cases were reported in the region.

The number of patients being tested positive and deaths caused by the illness is continuously on the rise but still educational institutions, restaurants, shopping malls, markets and almost all other businesses are operating as per routine and one can witness that less than one per cent of the population in the region is following SOPs properly to avoid spread of the disease.

In last one week, as many as 904 new patients have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 from the region while the virus has claimed another 13 lives showing that the COVID-19 outbreak is hitting population very hard at least in this region of the country.

According to many health experts, the current phase of the outbreak is highly critical as the reaction and response of individuals and the concerned government authorities in the existing phase would decide about intensity of the second spike in next few days after fall in temperature and an expected spread of flu due to various strains.

In last 24 hours, the virus claimed one life in Rawalpindi district and four in the federal capital. According to details, a 64-year old male who was undergoing treatment at Holy Family Hospital in town died of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that another four deaths due to COVID-19 in the federal capital in last 24 hours has taken death toll from ICT to 199 while after confirmation of another 122 patients from ICT in last 24 hours, the total number of patients so far reported from ICT has reached 18309 of which 16888 have recovered. There were 1222 active cases of the disease in ICT while 171 in Rawalpindi district on Wednesday.

Another death from the district has taken death toll to 303 in Rawalpindi while confirmation of 17 new patients positive for the illness has taken tally to 6651 of which 6,177 have so far recovered.

On Wednesday, a total of 11 confirmed patients of COVID-19 were undergoing treatment at the healthcare facility in the district while as many as 160 confirmed patients of the disease were in isolation at their homes, said Executive District Officer (Health) Rawalpindi Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’. He added that a total of 380 persons belonging to the district were under quarantine at their homes after being suspected a patients of COVID-19.