LAHORE: The positivity rate of coronavirus remained 4.1 percent in Punjab as out of 13,015 tests conducted during the last 24 hours; the province has reported 540 fresh cases and 22 more fatalities taking the provincial tally of cases to 122,293 and deaths to 3137.

With recovery of 51 more people, the total number of recovered patients has reached 99,215. On the other hand, 2,224 more people recovered from Covid-19 across Pakistan taking the total recoveries to 352,529. As per the government's portal, 2,441 virus patients are in critical condition.

In the wake of surge in coronavirus cases, the provincial government has issued directions to make operational intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs) of three teaching hospitals of the Lahore City and the Expo Centre Lahore to admit serious patients of Covid-19.

The Expo Centre, Lahore, was "closed down" in July when the Punjab government enforced home isolation policy.

Sources in the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department Punjab disclosed that directions have been issued to operationalise the Hall No 2 of Expo Centre, Lahore, to start admission of the serious patients of the infection. Further, surgeries in the state-run hospitals of the province have been reduced to deal with the Covid-19 patients.

Prof Dr Asad Aslam Khan, who is also supervisor of the Expo Centre, said that 300-bed HDU at the Expo Centre has been made operational with the central oxygen supply system to start admission of the patients in the facility with complaints of low saturation level. The sources claimed that the total number of serious patients admitted in the Lahore city hospitals is 396 while the number of critical patients is about 152.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020