Punjab reports 17 deaths, 592 new cases: Experts for strict corona SOPs implementation

LAHORE: With rise in Covid cases, Punjab reported 17 more fatalities and 592 new infections during the last 24 hours taking the provincial tally of cases to 354,904 and death toll to 10,993.

Since Delta variant surfaced in Lahore and Rawalpindi, rise in fresh cases witnessed, as Lahore reported 245 new infections and six fatalities while in Rawalpindi 147 fresh cases and eight fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.

Expressing concern over Delta variant cases in Rawalpindi and Lahore, health professionals called for strict implementation of corona SOPs at markets, parks, restaurants, wedding halls and other public places besides accelerating coronavirus vaccination drive. They also urged the people to get vaccinated immediately; wear mask, sanitize hands and follow social distancing.

Out of 17 deaths reported across the province in the last 24 hours, eight were reported in Rawalpindi, six in Lahore, two in Faisalabad and one in Rahim Yar Khan taking the tally of death tolls in these districts to 4399, 1588, 1174 and 270, respectively.

Sources in the health department claimed that Corona Expert Advisory Group is closely monitoring the situation, to deal with the current situation. The Group is formulating necessary recommendations about vaccine booster on completion of six months of vaccination, sources said.

The corona positivity rate across the province has reached to 3.35 percent, as out of total 17,667 coronavirus tests conducted during the last 24 hours, as many as 592 fresh virus cases were reported.

With the recovery of 271 corona positive patients, the total number of recovered patients in Punjab has reached to 331,704. On the other hand, as many as 1,612 coronavirus recoveries were reported across the country during the last 24 hours taking the tally of recoveries to 937,354 showing recovery rate of 91.9 percent.

As per breakup of corona cases and deaths in major cities of the province, Lahore has so far reported 182,738 cases and 4,399 deaths, Rawalpindi 28,108 cases and 1,588 deaths, Faisalabad 21,739 cases and 1,174 deaths, Multan 18,159 cases and 870 deaths, Gujranwala 8,407 cases and 429 deaths, Rahim Yar Khan 6,222 cases and 270 deaths, Sargodha 8,538 cases and 291 deaths, Bahawalpur 8,303 cases and 256 deaths, D G Khan 3,669 cases and 144 deaths and Sialkot reported 7,213 cases and 239 deaths.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), Sarah Aslam instructed the public that adherence to SOPs and timely vaccination is the only key to cope with Delta variant, as it is likely to be one of the dominant strains of Covid-19 in Pakistan.

On the other hand, Mayo Hospital Lahore and ChildLife Foundation entered into an agreement for modernization of the Pediatric Medical Emergency Ward of the former.

The agreement was signed by Dr Mahmood Shaukat, Chairman Board of Governors - Mayo Hospital and Dr Ahson Rabbani, CEO of ChildLife Foundation. The Dean of KE Medical College (KEMC), Medical Superintendent of Mayo Hospital, Chairman of Pediatric Department and Professor of Pediatric Department were present on the occasion.

With a capacity of 2800+ beds, Mayo Hospital is the largest hospital of Pakistan; affiliated with Pakistan's oldest and prestigious King Edward Medical University.

Dr Shaukat said that he has seen the ChildLife ERs in Karachi and is glad to join hands with them for the betterment of children of Punjab. He said that Mayo Hospital will be a role model for healthcare in Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021