ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: In a worrying development, every day there are fresh and increasing numbers of dengue cases nationwide. Collectively the twin cities reported 156 fresh cases in the past 24-hour period on Wednesday. In the past 24-hour period ending today, Rawalpindi alone has reported at least 95 cases. They took the city tally to 695 since the past outbreak of the epidemic. Separately in Islamabad, during the same period, at least 61 fresh dengue cases emerged. They are also resulting in the growing scare of mosquito-borne disease. Some 42 cases were reported from the rural parts of the federal capital while 19 of them came to fore in the urban parts, the sources privy to the matter said. According to the health department sources, Islamabad has reported at least 1,403 dengue cases since this new wave. It has claimed five lives here, they said. Separately today from the pandemic side, Pakistan continued to witness a downward trend of COVID-19 cases. The country has reported 1,021 new cases of the pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The nerve centre of the country’s COVID-19 response said 21 more people succumbed to the viral disease during this period. It lifted the death toll to 28,173.