Number of Covid-19 patients keeps climbing in Rawalpindi.

Byline: Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI -- The number of confirmed patients has been increasing with each passing day as on Wednesday 133 more tested positive for Covid-19 in the garrison city while a person died and three recovered.

A 50-year-old resident of Khayaban-i-Sir Syed was brought to Benazir Bhutto Hospital on May 12 with symptoms of Covid-19. However, he passed away on the morning of May 13.

Health experts blamed opening of bazaars and markets in Rawalpindi and keeping the corona affected localities open for the increase in the number of patients.

Talking to Dawn, District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Suhail Ahmed said next week the district would see a peak in the number of patients if the situation remains the same.

The senior health official said people and traders flouted the instructions of the government to maintain social distancing and follow other SOPs.

Health experts blame opening of markets for the fresh spike

The health official said of 240 passengers being kept at Engineering University Taxila, 175 tested negative, and were allowed to go home while test reports of the rest were awaited. He said 56 out of 110 passengers, kept in Fatima Jinnah Women University tested negative and they went home on Wednesday night.

He said at present 1,800 people had been isolated at their homes and district health authority was monitoring their health on a daily basis.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the Rawalpindi district administrations had been directed to implement all the standard operating procedures in the markets and bazaars and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard.

He said the Punjab government had asked the business community to strictly abide by SOPs otherwise the government would revisit its decision.

'The number of patients is increasing especially in Rawalpindi district which is an alarming situation,' he said.

He said the government had established another laboratory in the Holy Family Hospital to test Covid-19.

He said that samples would be sent to the National Institute of...

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