Zubair Qureshi
With the opening of educational institutions for grade 9-12 students on Monday, the capital city reported 66 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday in a period of twenty-four hours. District Health Officer Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia said standard operating procedures (SOPs) for educational institutions were intact and the health department was increasing its vigilance to control the spread of the virus.
On Tuesday, 4,400 samples were collected of which 92 turned out to be positive and the positivity rate remained just 2pc. As many as 11 of the cases were reported from Bahria Town and eight each from I-8 and G-11. Dr Zia said: “We have SOPs regarding educational institutions intact and if cases will be reported from any institution, it will be closed for disinfection and breaking the chain of the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, a woman tested positive during screening at Islamabad International Airport (IIA). According to sources, the woman belonged to Attock district and arrived on a European airline from the United Kingdom.
After being found infected, she was separated from other passengers and advised to isolate herself at home. Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, another two confirmed patients of coronavirus illness, COVID-19 from Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district died of the illness in the last 24 hours while 100 new patients have been tested positive for the disease that is the lowest number of patients reported from the region in a day after October 19.
Earlier, in the last three months, the lowest number of patients reported from ICT and Rawalpindi district in a day was 103 on December 23. The total number of patients so far reported from the region has reached 52,356 of which 1,034 have lost their lives due to the illness. To date, as many as 49324 patients from the twin cities have recovered while the number of active cases of COVID-19 has dropped down to 1998 on Tuesday. It is important that the number of active cases from the region has been recorded less than 2,000 after November 3.
The data available on the media reveals that the virus claimed one more life from ICT taking the death toll to 457 while the total number of patients so far tested positive from the federal capital reached 40111 after confirmation of another 92 cases in the last 24 hours. To date, a total of 37,914 patients from ICT have recovered while the number of active cases of the disease has reduced to 1,740 on Monday in the federal capital.
Meanwhile, another patient died of the illness from Rawalpindi district in the last 24 hours taking the death toll to 577. Only eight patients have been tested positive from Rawalpindi district in the last 24 hours taking tally to 12,245 of which 11,410 patients have been discharged from healthcare facilities after treatment. According to district health department, a total of 38 confirmed patients were undergoing treatment at the healthcare facilities in town while some 220 confirmed patients of COVID-19 were in home isolation in the district.
