LRH closes gynae unit as 29 medics test positive for virus.

Byline: Ashfaq Yusufzai

PESHAWAR -- With recording five more coronavirus deaths by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the province largest public sector health facility, Lady Reading Hospital, closed down its gynaecology unit after 29 of its staffers tested positive for Covid-19.

Apart from LRH, management of district headquarters hospital Timergara in Lower Dir ordered to close all OPDs and operation theatres after eight staffers tested positive for the disease.

The daily situation report released by health department said that total number of fatalities reached 185, with three of the new casualties occurred in Peshawar. The provincial capital has now a total of 114 deaths from the virus, the highest by any district in the country.

Case Fatality Rate (CFR) in Pakistan is 2.3per cent and 5.62 per cent in KP, the highest in any province of the country. CFR in Peshawar is 9 per cent.

One each Covid-19 patient passed away in Bannu and Swabi. The province also recorded 159 new Covid-19 cases, making the overall count 3,288 with 70 from Peshawar, the epicentre of the virus with total count of 1,267.

The province has now recorded 856 patients, who have recovered from the infectious ailment as 45 more healed, according to the report. It said that 26 were diagnosed positive for coronavirus in Malakand and 12 each in Bannu and Khyber.

KP records five more Covid-19 deaths, increasing the number to 185

The pandemic is rampant in populous districts of Peshawar, Mardan and Swat with 114, 9 and 14 deaths respectively. The number of active cases in these districts is 1267, 192 and 200, respectively.

The 1750-bed LRH is heading towards complete closure owing to rapid spread of infection among its staffers. On Monday, Prof Abdul Latif Khan, the dean of LRH, informed health secretary that they had decided to close down gynaecology department to ensure safety of staff and patients for two weeks on temporary basis.

He said that of the 68 tests, 29 members of staff of the hospital tested positive for Covid-19 and results of the remaining were awaited.

'We are in the process of screening of all staff and 100 more samples of doctors, nurses and paramedics have been sent to Khyber Medical University for diagnosis. During this period, we will disinfect the gynaecology department using the WHO's guidelines,' said Prof Latif.

He said that patients with gynecological problems should visit the nearby hospitals for treatment.

LRH is currently home to about 40 coronavirus...