2,193 Healthcare Workers Affected
The National Health Ministry confirmed that to date 1,232 doctors, 333 nurses, and 628 medical support staff have been infected, taking the tally of healthcare professionals diagnosed with COVID-19 to over 2,000. Of these, 23 succumbed to the virus, while 789 recovered. 196 healthcare workers are under treatment in various hospitals while 1,185 are in self-isolation.
More Frontline Workers Infected
29 doctors and 19 nurses of the Ayub Teaching Hospital in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa managed to contract the potentially deadly coronavirus disease. Of these, 12 doctors and 6 nurses have recovered. Meanwhile, 100 doctors across Allied Hospital, District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, and General Hospital Ghulam Muhammadabad in Faisalabad have taken ill with the virus.
Doctors pointed out that while healthcare professionals were doing their utmost to protect themselves and practice protective measures due to a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), patients, in general, are not adhering to SOPs by failing to wear masks and maintaining a safe distance from others. They urged the public to act responsibly as an influx of new patients is expected in the coming months.
On the other hand, 33 policemen of the Rawalpindi division were diagnosed positive. Among them, 22 were stationed in Rawalpindi, 6 in Jhelum, 4 in Attock and 1 in Chakwal.
Hospitals Underequipped
101 out of 123 Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospitals in Punjab lack ventilators – 22 THQ hospitals are equipped with a total of 47 ventilators while out of 74 ventilators supplied to 19 DHQ hospitals, only 47 are available to COVID-19 patients. According to Dr. Yasmin Rashid, there are 251 critical coronavirus patients admitted to Punjab’s hospitals. Meanwhile, the Chandka Medical College Hospital intensive care unit (ICU) dedicated to critical COVID-19 patients is without basic facilities, medicines, and other equipment.
Infections Among Women & Children Rising
The Sindh government has revealed that infections among women and children are on the rise following eased lockdown and restrictions during the month of Ramadan. While adult men constitute a significant proportion of COVID-19 infections, the contagion is adding more women to its numbers as they fail to adhere to wearing masks and gloves while out in public. Furthermore, a total of 1,148 Pakistani children under 10 years of age have contracted the virus since late January.