Health authorities term situation critical as 168 test positive after 1,500 tests
Zubair Qureshi
The health authorities of Islamabad as well as the district admin on Sunday cautioned the residents against a possible resurgence of Covid-19 as people are returning from their native towns and will be joining offices, businesses and other professions from Monday (today).
This large-scale inter-city movement and return of such a large number of people from other cities to Islamabad might lead to a situation we met last year after the Eid when the coronavirus challenge had almost become insurmountable and strict measures were taken to bring the virus down.
While talking to Pakistan Observer Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat said there was every possibility of the return of a potential wave of virus as during the Eid holidays little attention was paid with regard to following of Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Dr Muhammad Safdar Rana Director General of Health, said we needed to be extra-careful and cautious as Covid-19 is still here and can infect even those who have been vaccinated, though its severity would be a little less than for those not vaccinated.
We need to keep wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and repeatedly wash our hands, said Dr Safdar adding we should incorporate as our habits these three SOPs and remain vigilant as the virus is quite clever and can attack the moment it finds our defence system is not up to the mark to stop its onslaught.
Dr Zaeem Zia also advised all those who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated at the earliest as this is the golden opportunity we can avail ourselves of.
About incidence of new cases and expiries, he said in the last twenty-four hours, 1,500 tests were conducted for coronavirus, out of which, 168 persons were found infected with the virus.
The positivity rate thus stands at 8 percent which is again very disturbing and annoying in the backdrop of all the efforts made in the recent past to bring the positivity rate below 1 percent.
Not only 168 new cases but two deaths were also reported during the last one day which took the toll due to Covid-19 to 792 while the total number of cases stand at 85,519.
So far, 82,479 persons in Islamabad have been recovered from Covid-19 since the virus broke out last year in March, he further said.
