Further spikes expected in ICT in next few days

Islamabad : Further spikes in the number of coronavirus illness, COVID-19 cases in Islamabad Capital Territory are being expected in the next few days through the teams of district health department ICT are following all possible measures to contain the virus that is following the same trend regarding its spread which is being witnessed internationally.

There is a certain increase in the number of COVID-19 cases from the federal capital yet we are expecting that the number of patients being tested positive per day would go up further within the next week and large spikes may not be ruled out in the next few days. The spread of the virus in ICT is reflecting the international trend and what the maximum we can do is to do all possible efforts to contain it.

District Health Officer ICT Dr. Muhammad Zaeem Zia expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday. The teams of health the department is carrying out surveillance activities extensively and working hard on active case search and contact tracing to ensure the safety of the community and to contain further spread of the virus, he said.

The DHO ICT has issued letters on Tuesday advising immediate closure of seven educational institutions and their departments after reporting of COVID-19 cases from their campuses.

The DHO advised to immediately close down Islamabad Model School for Girls (IMSG), G-7/3-4 for a period till further intimation along with Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development in H-9, Allied School in Phase 2 Ghauri Town and departments of NUST University in Sector H-12, COMSATS University along Park Road in Chak Shehzad, Bahria College Lower Primary Section in Sector E-8, Islamabad Model School in Sector G-7/1 and Roots Millennium School One World Campus in House number 80, Street No. 1 in Sector E-11/4.

Almost similar is the situation in the adjoining city, Rawalpindi where the cases of COVID-19 are on a tremendous rise for the last one week or so. The city district government has imposed smart lockdown in localities and premises pointed out as hot spots including Fauji Foundation University in New Lalazar area, Government Girls High School Kahuta, a locality in Satellite Town are and Abbassiabad.

Data collected by ‘The News’ reveals that in last 24 hours, the virus claimed three more lives in the twin cities taking death toll from the region to 580 while as many as 330 new patients were reported from ICT and Rawalpindi district. All three deaths caused by the virus in last 24 hours were reported from the federal capital.

From Rawalpindi district, 81 new patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 in last 24 hours taking tally to 7,332 of which 6,586 have recovered while 336 have lost their lives. A total of 34 patients are hospitalized in the district at Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Red Crescent Hospital and Quaid-i-Azam International Hospital though number of confirmed patients in home isolation got to 376, said Executive District Officer (Health) Rawalpindi Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’.