COVID-19 situation update
Fresh infections jumped to 2,482 on Wednesday, January 6, at an increased daily positivity rate of 6.13%, contributing to a three-day rolling average of 5.76%. Encouragingly, recoveries are also on the rise with 2,122 patients reported to be coronavirus-free at a recovery rate of 91%. Pakistan currently has 34,049 active cases.
50 COVID-19 case fatalities were reported in the same time frame, with Punjab and Sindh accounting for 19 deaths each, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa seven, Azad Jammu and Kashmir three and Islamabad Capital territory 2. With a national death toll of 10,511, Pakistan is slowly inching to 11,000 in fatalities.
1,597 queries on lockdowns received
1,597 queries regarding smart lockdowns were received by Punjab authorities via their helpline from October 1 to December 31. Of these, 183 were complaints of open violations of health guidelines and standard operating procedure (SOP), 121 of which were received from Lahore alone.
Citizens registering their complaints via the helpline warned of poor check at entry and exit points at zones under smart lockdown, people and businesses visiting stores and gas stations past the ordained 9AM to 7PM slot. Residents noted that mostly influential and well-to-do people were freely flaunting protocols.
PIMS hitting COVID-19 capacity
Eight wards of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, outfitted with around 30 beds each, are occupied by COVID-19 patients, said a spokesperson for the hospital. With only two nurses to tend to these patients and beds running out, it has now become nearly impossible to take in any new patients for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Center in the city has yet to be made functional despite being recently inaugurated.