Highest deaths due to COVID-19

Rawalpindi : Coronavirus illness, COVID-19 claimed lives of as many as 15 patients belonging to Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district in the last 24 hours setting a new record for the highest number of deaths from the region in a day while another 545 patients have been tested positive for the disease from the region taking tally to over 38,000.

According to details, eight confirmed patients of the illness from ICT died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours while seven patients from Rawalpindi district lost their lives due to the illness. Fifteen deaths in a single day took death toll from the twin cities to 697 of which 305 patients were residents of the federal capital and 392 were from Rawalpindi.

According to District Health Officer ICT Dr. Muhammad Zaeem Zia, another 425 patients from ICT have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours while 307 have recovered. The number of active cases of the illness in the federal capital is 5,917, he said.

To a query, he said the mortality rate during the recent spike of COVID-19 in the federal capital is not greater than the previous outbreak instead it is around One (1) to 1.1 per cent as was recorded during June and July. The positivity rate, however, is sustaining from six to seven per cent and we need to bring it down as soon as possible.

He said it is too early to say that the mortality rate among COVID-19 patients has increased due to some mutations in coronavirus.

Executive District Officer (Health) Rawalpindi Dr. Sohail Ahmed Chaudhary while talking to ‘The News’ said as many as seven patients died of the disease from Rawalpindi district in the last 24 hours while 120 new patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 from the district taking tally to 9,076 of which 7,582 have recovered.

The number of active cases of the illness in the district is 1102 of which 118 patients are undergoing treatment at different healthcare facilities in Rawalpindi and 984 are in home isolation, he said.