53 more deaths reported: The 'only way' to defeat Covid-19 is to get vaccinated: Dr Yasmeen

LAHORE: There is no let up in causalities due to Covid-19 pandemic, as 53 more fatalities were reported in Punjab including 24 in Lahore, eight in Rawalpindi, three each in Muzaffargarh and Gujranwala during the last 24 hours taking the death toll in the province to 11,874.

During the last 24 hours, 24 deaths were reported from Lahore, eight in Rawalpindi, three each in Muzaffargarh and Gujranwala, two each in Multan and Skeikhupura, one each in D G Khan and Sargodha taking death toll in these cities to 4,708, 1,953, 344, 502, 892, 1,33,166 and 303, respectively.

Pursuant to the recommendations of the Corona Experts Advisory Group (CEAG) and amid rise in fresh infections, the Health department has issued directions for suspension of all kinds of elective surgeries at the four major teaching hospitals of the province i.e., Lahore General Hospital, Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital Lahore and Nishtar Hospital, Multan for two weeks.

Out of 22,917 corona tests conducted during the last 24 hours, Punjab has reported 1,838 Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the highest since May 6, when 1,995 cases were reported. With these fresh infections, the provincial tally of cases reached to 393,137 showing the overall positivity rate of the virus in the province to 8.02 percent. The overall positivity rate in Lahore reached to 10.3 percent, Rawalpindi 9.21 percent, Multan 4.05 percent, Bahawalpur 5.92 percent, Faisalabad 6.97 percent, Gujrat 4.53 percent and Gujranwala 4.19 percent.

With the recovery of 3,125 more virus patients, the number of recovered patients in the province reached to 3,55,453. On the other hand, as many as 2,837 coronavirus recoveries were reported across the country taking the tally of total recoveries to 10,39,758 showing the recovery rate of 89.6 percent.

As per breakup of corona cases and deaths in major cities of the province, Lahore has so far reported 2,00,269 cases and 4,708 deaths, Rawalpindi 33,919 cases and 1,853 deaths, Faisalabad 23,634 cases and 1,202 deaths, Multan 19,937 cases and 892 deaths, Bahawalpur 9,215 cases and 262 deaths, Gujranwala 9,353 cases and 502 deaths, Muzaffargarh 2,620 cases and 344 deaths, Rahim Yar Khan 7,117 cases and 288 deaths, Sargodha 9,414 cases and 303 deaths, Sheikhupura 4,314 cases and 133 deaths and Sialkot reported 8,084 cases and 244 deaths.

Moreover, pursuant to directions of Chief Secretary, health department is set to start a door-to-door corona vaccination campaign in all the districts of the province.

It may be noted that a door-to-door vaccination drive in eight cities of the province has been underway since July 26 and its scope is now being extended to all districts. Health professionals believed that the vaccine is highly effective against the coronavirus and that the patients who received even a single dose are in a better condition than those who did not. They asked the citizens to continue following SOPs along with vaccination.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid in a meeting said that the only way to prevent corona is vaccination, as 88 percent of the patients infected with corona virus in the fourth wave are those who have not been vaccinated.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021