The national tally on Monday of total active Covid-19 cases was recorded at 83,298 as 5,445 more people tested positive for the deadly virus while 137 people died from the disease across country.
In an alarming situation, the ICU occupancy at top Lahore hospitals has reached 95 percent during the third wave of the deadly Covid-19. The ICU beds at major hospitals in the city including Mayo Hospital, Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital and Government Mian Nawaz Sharif Hospital are occupied to their capacity with only five percent collective beds left at these major health facilities. “As many as 250 Covid-19 patients are on ventilators in Lahore,” reports said, adding that overall, the ICU occupancy at Lahore hospitals has reached 89 percent.
Besides this, around 600 patients are currently being treated at high oxygen wards in the city. The occupancy at high oxygen units has reached 94 percent while remained at 45 percent at low oxygen units.
Earlier in the day, a report revealed that the hospitals in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces have been under stress due to soaring cases of Covid-19. The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 85 percent, Mardan 95 percent, Gujranwala 88 percent and Lahore 82 percent. The maximum oxygen beds were occupied in four major areas including Gujranwala 85 percent, Peshawar 72 percent, Nowshera 68 percent and Swat 65 percent. Around 549 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country.
Out of total 137 deaths on Tuesday, 122 were under treatment in hospitals and 15 in their respective quarantines or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Most of the deaths occurred in Punjab, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Out of the total 137 deaths, 53 died on ventilators during their treatment.
Some 68,002 tests were conducted across the country on Monday, including 14,109 in Sindh, 41,074 in Punjab, 7,027 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 4,233 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 710 in Balochistan, 247 in GB, and 602 in AJK.
Around 667,131 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count.
Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 766,882 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 15,741, Balochistan 21000, GB 5,191, ICT 70,609, KP 107,309, Punjab 273,566 and Sindh 273,466.
About 16,453 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion.
Pakistan will receive two million doses of COVID vaccine from China by April 24, a private TV channel reported quoting sources in the ministry of national health. According to sources, the vaccine would start arriving in the country from April 21, and out of two million doses, 1.5 million would be purchased from China while 500,000 would be provided as a gift from the neighbouring friendly country.
“The vaccine will arrive in four phases from April 21 to 24,” they said adding that three special planes and a PIA flight would be used to bring the COVID doses from China. The doses included 1.5 million vaccines of Sinopharm and 500,000 jabs of Sinovac.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has already begun vaccinating elderly people aged above 60-year-old and health professionals. The country will start vaccinating people in the age group 50-59 from next week, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar announced on Saturday.