1,500 hidden virus cases traced among contacts of those returning from abroad.

Byline: Asif Chaudhry

LAHORE -- The health department has traced 1,500 'hidden confirmed cases' of Covid-19 patients who were in close contact with the Pakistani citizens returning from abroad.

Most of these cases were traced in the provincial capital, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Multan, besides a few from Faisalabad.

The teams working under the Central Contact Tracing (CCT) unit of the primary and secondary healthcare department complied details of these 1,500 people who tested positive for the virus.

Special secretary of the P and SHD Dr Ajmal Bhatti told Dawn all the hidden cases traced by the CCT unit were close contacts of the overseas Pakistanis who had returned home during the pandemic. Some of these patients got infected by the pilgrims returning from Iran and the members of the Tableeghi Jamaat who tested positive, he added.

He revealed that many of these patients had deliberately been avoiding tests, while others were unaware they were carriers.

'We traced and identified 26,000 contacts of 4,300 coronavirus positive patients in various parts of Punjab', Mr Ajmal said.

After screening of all these contacts, including women and children, 1,500 of them turned out to be positive for the virus, he said, adding that it was a massive activity that was done in collaboration with deputy commissioners and police.

'Had these patients not been traced and quarantined, the number of the positive patients in the province might have been much higher', the special secretary said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab province reported the highest number of...