Islamabad reports record number 200 new cases, 4 deaths in 24 hours
Zubair Qureshi
A record number of 200 patients were diagnosed with coronavirus in last 24 hours while four died of the virus in the same period.
With this latest addition in the tally of confirmed cases of Covid-19, the federal capital has registered 2,418 patients. On Saturday the number was 2,192. The number of deaths too has reached 27 from 23.
An Upper Division Clerk (UDC) in Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Tariq Mehmood was among those who lost their lives to the virus on Sunday.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) received 130 patients on Sunday and admitted six of them—four in isolation ward and two in private wards. The rest of 124 were sent back. Currently, there are 11 Covid-11 patients in critical condition on ventilators.
This is the record number of new cases as well as deaths due to coronavirus reported in a period of 24 hours and the two main hospitals—PIMS and Polyclinic— have reached their maximum capacity of admitting patients.
“We are now returning the Covid-19 positive cases asking them to self-isolate,” said a doctor at the isolation unit of the PIMS requesting not to be named.
PIMS itself has been hit by coronavirus and according the Joint Executive Director (JED) of the hospital, Dr Minhajus Siraj there were 91 health workers, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff tested positive with coronavirus so far.
Two of them are in critical condition and have been admitted while the rest have been asked to go into quarantine. When asked why PIMS, a premiere health facility of Islamabad rather one of the top public sector hospitals of Pakistan, could not ensure its staff—doctors, paramedics and health workers—are saved from virus while treating the patients, Dr Minhaj said these doctors, nurses and paramedics were infected despite the fact they were not working in the highly infected zones like isolation wards or critical care areas of Covid-19 patients.
A committee has been constituted for investigation into the matter with Dr Junaida Sarfaraz, AP Community Medicine as chairperson.
The two members of the committee are Assistant Professor Dr Aneeza Jaleel and Deputy Director Admin Dr Naveed Shah both from PIMS, said he. The committee will formulate a scientific methodology to address the issue, peruse the hospital records and medical reports of the employees concerned.
“Something is wrong somewhere and we will know exactly where by Tuesday afternoon,” said he. Already we are checking supplies of PPEs and the proper safety measures,” said a concerned JED Dr Minhaj adding, “Our staff in corona wards are safe because they are totally protected. These infected are from general areas so maybe they are catching up from their social activities or any other way. We shall look into all aspects,” he assured.
