COVID infection rate drops in Lahore, situation alarming in Gujranwala, says Rashid

(Karachi) Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid has said that the coronavirus infection rate in Lahore has decreased as compared to last week due to the strict implementation of SOPs.

Addressing a media briefing on Sunday, Yasmin said that we have seen a positive change due to a drop in COVID cases n Lahore. She maintained that there are 50 ventilators available in the walled city while 42 percent of high-dependency oxygen beds are occupied.

“We have set up a 280-bed field hospital in the Lahore Expo Centre with uninterrupted oxygen supply,” Dr. Rashid said, adding that 10 ventilators have been installed there as well.

She said that the situation in Gujranwala is alarming as all the ventilators are occupied there. “But we have talked to Rescue 1122 and are sending them five more ventilators from Lahore.”

The minister said the government has decided to install oxygen generators at big teaching hospitals across the province. The procurement for these has already begun. “All these preparations have been made to prevent any emergency situation.”

Dr. Rashid revealed that Punjab is the province where the most number of people are getting vaccinated. “The NCOC has given us a target of vaccinating 80,000 people in a day and yesterday we injected 78,000 people.”

Presently, there are 135 vaccination centers in Punjab and the government has decided to seven more centers to the list. Of these three will be opened in Lahore and one each in Multan, Gujranwala, and Rawalpindi.