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- Health officer claims capital has hit its peak
- Expert believes cases dropped due to rain
- Pindi also receives less patients
ISLAMABAD: With the positivity rate dropping by 2pc in the last two weeks and the number of cases also falling in the federal capital, the district administration is hoping that the city might have hit the peak of the second wave. However a health expert believes that cases fell due to rains as the virus becomes heavy and drops to the ground.
According to data released by the district administration, 279 cases had been confirmed out of 5,999 samples collected on Saturday.
A total of 15 cases were reported from G-7, 14 each from G-9 and G-6, 12 cases from F-8 while nine each were reported from I-8, Gokina, G-13 and eight housing societies of Zone V.
The data showed that during the current wave, the highest number of cases reported in a single day was 570 in last week of November whereas the maximum number of patients recorded in December was 474 after which the cases started to drop.
District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia told Dawn that as per his assessment, Islamabad had touched the peak of the current season.
“It is all because of the efforts of the health team and the guidance being provided from the platform of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The average positivity rate from Nov 8 to 28th remained at 6.83pc which was the peak of the current wave. The ratio has dropped by 2pc in the last two weeks with the current rate recorded at around 4.6pc,” he said.
Dr Zia said: “The mortality rate in the federal capital was 1.2pc during the peak season but last week’s rate stood at 1.04pc. I suggest people should strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).”
However an expert of the National Institute of Health, requesting not to be named, said the sudden drop in cases was due to the rains as the virus becomes heavier and falls to the ground as a result chances of its spread are reduced.
“We need to wait for another fortnight to conclude if we have hit the peak of the second wave or not,” he added.
Rawalpindi
The district saw a reduction in the number of Covid-19 patients as 69 people tested positive on Sunday compared to 103 a day earlier.
One person, however, succumbed to the virus in the district. As many as nine cases were reported from outside the district whereas 163 patients were discharged from hospitals.
Maroof Bibi, 67, a resident of Kallar Syedan, was brought to Fauji Foundation Hospital on Dec 12 where she died on Sunday.
A total of 1,146 patients are under treatment out of which 130 are in hospitals and 1,016 home isolated.
Since March, 11,839 cases have been reported in Rawalpindi district, 10,219 discharged from hospitals and 474 passed away.
Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said from Oct 10 to Dec 13, a total of 6,039 people visited filter clinics of Rawalpindi’s three hospitals, adding that 920 tested positive, 235 people died and 546 patients were discharged after recovering.
He said at present 15 patients were on ventilators and 114 needed oxygen.
Mr Mehmood said 566 people had lost their lives in Rawalpindi Division – 474 in Rawalpindi, 24 in Attock, 12 in Jhelum and 56 in Chakwal.
The commissioner said though the district administration had been asked to monitor standard operating procedures in bazaars and public places, the role of people was also important to adopt safety measures.
Attock
As many as 16 more people were infected by Covid-19 in Attock on Sunday.
According to health authorities, this was the highest daily count of positive cases reported since the outbreak of the virus.
The district has crossed the 900 mark with the number of patients hitting 909.
District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Jawad Elahi said among the new cases, 13 belonged to Attock city, two to Hassanabdal while one was from Hazro.
He said the number of active patients in the district had surged to 156 out of which 148 were home isolated and eight hospitalised.
Dr Elahi confirmed that it was the highest number of active patients in the district since the first Covid-19 case has reported in February, adding that eight suspected patients were also under treatment in the District Headquarters Hospital.
Responding to a question, the health official said the number of suspected cases was 19,775 while screening of 23,226 people had been carried out so far, adding that the results of 203 people were awaited.
Gujar Khan
A total of 21 people contracted Covid-19 in Jhelum district on Sunday, CEO Health Dr Waseem Iqbal said.
Around 37,627 people were screened for the virus out of whom 858 tested positive and 726 have recovered.
Dr Iqbal said 19suspected and 11 confirmed patients were under treatment at DHQ Hospital Jhelum while the rest had been isolated in their homes. As many as 12 people have lost their lives in the district so far.
Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Rao Pervez Akhtar said many asymptomatic cases, who had not been tested, were a high risk for other people, adding that strict actions were being taken against public and private institutions that were not following SOPs.