Home / Pakistan / Twin cities’ admins emphasise on enforcement of SOPs even as number of new cases declines

Twin cities’ admins emphasise on enforcement of SOPs even as number of new cases declines

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the capital has fallen to 4pc to 4.5pc per every 100 tests, according to data from the last two weeks.

District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia said that Islamabad has a recovery rate of more than 80 out of 100 cases, while the mortality rate of the disease in the capital is 1pc. There are on average between 2,000 and 2,500 tests conducted in the capital every day.

Dr Zia said that areas where people are residing in clusters are still high-risk, and while a few contacts of previously confirmed patients are also testing positive for Covid-19, the number of positives in randomised samples has fallen.

District Health Office teams are carrying out random sampling to determine how the coronavirus is spreading among residents, he said. Crowded areas that are visited by a large number of people – such as barbers, cobblers, grocery stores, bakeries and meat stores – are under surveillance.

Capital’s positive cases fall to 4pc out of every 100 tests, district health officer says

Of the new cases reported in the capital, 60pc are from urban areas and 40pc from rural areas, he added.

Dr Zia told Dawn that he wrote to the deputy commissioner and requested that standard operating procedures (SOP) be enforced in the capital before and during Eid. He said people should be asked not to travel to their hometowns for the holiday, and to strictly follow SOPs while buying sacrificial animals.

He said the next few weeks are crucial for limiting the spread of the coronavirus, which will be controlled if people follow SOPs during the preparations for and celebration of Eid.

Islamabad reported 94 more cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday and there were 2,015 tests carried out in the last 24 hours.

At least 14,202 people have now been diagnosed with the disease so far, of which 11,327 have recovered.

Two restaurants and three shops were also sealed for violating SOPs and shopkeepers were fined Rs145,000 for violations.

A drive against price hikes was also carried out on Tuesday in which 59 shops were inspected and a shopkeeper was arrested for alleged profiteering. Other shopkeepers were fined Rs25,000 in total.

Similarly, 45 public transport vehicles were checked and one was impounded while 17 were ticketed for violations.

Rawalpindi

With just 18 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in the garrison city on Tuesday, the district administration has claimed that the number of patients is decreasing but has not stated how many tests are being carried out in the city every day.

There were 286 recoveries recorded in Rawalpindi on Tuesday and no deaths.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said that the government is enforcing SOPs to limit the spread of the coronavirus and people need to be made aware about the need to take precautions. He said people should be careful when shopping or visiting cattle markets ahead of Eidul Azha.

Mr Mehmood said the number of patients in high dependency units is decreasing, with 125 patients admitted across critical care units in the city’s four hospitals and 19 patients on ventilators.

He said the recovery rate in Rawalpindi is 79pc, and the death rate is also falling as the government has asked health professionals to focus on treating critical patients.

As of Tuesday, Rawalpindi has reported 6,276 patients of whom 4,964 have recovered, 267 have died and 1,045 are still active. Of the active cases, 199 patients are in hospital and 846 are isolated in their homes.

Another 213 suspected patients have been admitted to Rawalpindi’s hospitals and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health and the Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Holy Family Hospital laboratory for testing.

According to official figures, 15,941 people were tested for Covid-19 between March 20 and July 14. Of them, 6,276 tested positive and 10,310 tested negative.

The report said that there have been 4,327 cases reported in Rawalpindi’s city and cantonment areas, 264 in Taxila, 253 in Gujar Khan, 78 in Kahuta, 60 in Kotli Sattian, 50 in Murree and 42 in Kallar Syedan.

At least 7,482 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Rawalpindi division, of which 5,875 have recovered and 328 have died.

There are currently 1,025 patients isolated in their homes, including 846 in Rawalpindi, 138 in Attock, 24 in Chakwal and 20 in Jhelum.

Also on Tuesday, 10 shops were sealed in and around Raja Bazaar for violating SOPs to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Assistant commissioners have fined shopkeepers Rs40,000 for violations.

In addition, 20 vehicles were impounded and Rs34,000 in fines were imposed on public transport by the Regional Transport Authority for violating SOPs. Another 12 were issued warnings.

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