Covid-19 continues to grip Rawalpindi.

RAWALPINDI -- Five people died and 56 others tested positive for Covid-19 in the garrison city on Monday.

The deceased were a 62-year-old woman from Gulistan Colony, who died at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU), a 65-year-old man from Dhoke Kashmirian and another woman, aged 80, from Rawalpindi Metropolitan Corporation Colony who passed away at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH).

A 60-year-old patient from Dhoke Paracha and another 45-year-old resident of Tench Bhatta also died at the RIU.

With the emergence of 56 new cases, the tally of confirmed patients has reached 5,207 in the district while 218 people have died so far and 2,510 discharged after recovering from the disease.

At present, 2,479 confirmed patients are under treatment, including 1,007 in hospitals. Of these, 264 patients belonged to other districts.

Apart from this, 1,874 suspected patients are admitted to four hospitals of the city and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH), BBH and Holy Family Hospital (HFH) laboratories for testing butthe results are awaited.

Local administrations are also keeping 1,453 people who were in close contact with confirmed patients in quarantine.

Meanwhile, 15 shops were sealed in different parts of the district and their owners fines Rs68,000 on Monday for violating standard operating procedures (SOPs). In addition, 35 public transport vehicles were impounded and fined Rs48,000 for violating SOPs.

When contacted, Commissioner Mohammad Mehmood admitted thatthere was no space in BBH as all the 196 beds for Covid-19patients have been filled. However, he said more beds hadbeen arranged in the hospital.

`Nine patients in BBH are on ventilators and still 14 ventilators are vacant. Most of the patients occupied beds with oxygen f acilities,` he said.

The commissioner said 307 patients were in intensive care units with 23 on ventilators and 193 needing oxygen.

As many as 91 patients require neither oxygen nor ventilator support.

A total of 790 beds are available in six health f acilities of Rawalpindi city, including 240 beds at RIU, 196 at BBH, 100 at HFH, 14 at the District Headquarters Hospital, 120 each at Shahbaz Sharif Sports Complex and Red Crescent Hospital, he said.

However, he said 307 beds were occupied while 483 beds were still vacant. He said there was also enough space at Shahbaz Sharif Sports Complex and Red Crescent Hospital.

Islamabad The tally of Covid-19...