Seven more die of Covid-19 in twin cities

Rawalpindi: After a day without reporting of any death from Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district due to coronavirus illness, COVID-19 on Sunday, the virus has claimed seven more lives from the region in the last 24 hours which is the highest number of deaths recorded in a day from twin cities after February 4.

The positivity rate of COVID-19 from the twin cities has been recording a continuous upward trend for the last three weeks or so particularly after reopening of educational institutions that would now operate as per routine with full strength of students in classrooms at all levels.

The positivity rate recorded for ICT last week was 2.65 per cent that had dropped to below 1.4 per cent before reopening of educational institutions. On Sunday, the positivity rate of the disease was 3.51 per cent and according to District Health Officer ICT Dr. Muhammad Zaeem Zia, it may go higher if we do not follow standard operating procedures.

After seven deaths due to coronavirus illness from the twin cities in the last 24 hours, the COVID-19 death toll from the region has got to 1136 while as many as 134 new patients have been confirmed positive from the region taking tally to 57,460.

Data collected by ‘The News’ reveals that the virus has claimed five more lives from ICT in the last 24 hours taking death toll from the federal capital to 501 and as many as 114 new patients have been tested positive for the disease from the federal capital taking tally to 44,373 of which 42,085 confirmed patients have recovered.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in the federal capital was 1,787 on Monday. From Rawalpindi district, another two patients died of the disease in the last 24 hours taking death toll to 635.

Another 20 patients have been tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours taking tally to 13,087 of which 12,170 have recovered. The number of active cases of the disease from Rawalpindi district was 282 on Monday.

According to District Health Office Rawalpindi, as many as 45 confirmed patients belonging to Rawalpindi have been undergoing treatment at different healthcare facilities in town while some 237 patients have been in home isolation.