LAHORE: Due to rapidly increasing number of cases, Punjab Health Department (PHD) has reopened the Corona Management Center at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology to facilitate COVID-19 patients in the Division.

After a visit of the Center, the Health Minister said Rawalpindi was facing a strong second wave and seven people have lost their lives in the last 24 hours. She said as many as 48 cases were reported in Rawalpindi in last one day. The Minister said that after Lahore, cities worst affected were Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. She said 35 members of paramedical staff have recovered and returned back to their duties.

The Health Minister said, "The staffs of Rawalpindi Institute of Urology are very well trained to deal with the Pandemic. I urge people to follow safety precaution, not leave their homes without urgent need, wear masks and avoid shaking hands. People seem to have become careless about the SOPs. By wearing masks, the risk of spread can be reduced by 70 %. We have made available 100 beds in the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and another 100 beds will be added by next week. She said, the cold trial of vaccine by Pfizer does not seem very easy. The other vaccine one is Chinese and its trials are underway. If the trials are successful Pakistan will be the first country to use it. We have 2400 ventilators and ten thousand (10,000) Oxygenated beds available in all hospitals of Punjab. We have prepared well and our doctors have now understood the disease a great deal."

Answering the questions of journalists, the Minister said if Nawaz Sharif was so healthy that he could deliver speeches, he should come back.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020