Highest number of COVID-19 cases

Rawalpindi: Coronavirus illness, COVID-19 outbreak is continuing to hit Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district severely and claiming significant number of lives from the region as in the last 24 hours, another 11 patients have died of the illness from the region that is the highest number of deaths caused by the virus in 2021.

Similarly, the number of patients tested positive from the twin cities in the last 24 hours is the highest in a day after December 24 last year. As many as 263 new patients have been reported from the twin cities from where the virus has so far claimed a total of 1,148 lives.

It is important that the number of patients being tested positive from the region has been showing a tremendous increase for the last three-and-a-half weeks, after reopening of educational institutions at all levels. It is ironic that the educational institutions have started operating regular classes from March 1 instead of classes with half strength on alternate days while the number of patients is on a continuous rise. According to District Health Officer ICT Dr. Muhammad Zaeem Zia, 231 patients have been tested positive against 5,766 tests run in the federal capital having positivity at 4.0 per cent in the last 24 hours. Number of patients reported in a day from ICT is the highest in the last many months, he said,

The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi can be termed as the worst hit by the outbreak as compared to other parts of the country as nearly 8.8 per cent of all deaths so far caused by the virus in the country have been reported from the region that is home to less than 3.5 per cent of Pakistan’s population. Out of 13,076 COVID-19 deaths so far reported from all across Pakistan, 1,148 deaths are from the twin cities.

Data collected by ‘The News’ reveals that in the last 24 hours, the virus claimed nine more lives from Rawalpindi district and two from ICT. The virus has so far claimed as many as 645 lives from Rawalpindi district from where a total of 13,192 confirmed cases have been reported. From ICT, the total number of cases so far reported is 44,921 of which 503 have lost their lives. The number of active cases from ICT has become 1,999 on Thursday after addition of 127 active cases in the last 24 hours. As many as 32 patients have been tested positive from Rawalpindi in the last 24 hours.

The number of active cases of the illness from Rawalpindi district has got to 327 on Thursday of which 42 patients have been undergoing treatment at the healthcare facilities while 285 patients have been in isolation at their homes.