Rawalpindi - Three more patients died of novel coronavirus in the city while mounting the death toll to 63.
Shah Nawaz, 57-year-old, resident of 6th Road, was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on May 12 and he died on May 14.
They said Muhammad Bashir, 82-year-old, resident of Shah Allah Dita Road BaghSardaran, was brought to Holy Family Hospital on May 12 and he died on May 14.
Chaudhry Allah Dita, 65-year-old, resident of Shah Allah Dita Road BaghSardaran, arrived in Benazir Bhutto Hospital on May 12 with COVID-19 and he died on May 14, they added.
The deadliest virus is also increasing the number of patients in Rawalpindi with each passing day as many as 117 people tested positive of COVID-19.
However, nine people were discharged on Thursday from Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU).
In Rawalpindi, all the markets, shopping malls opened while ignoring the standard operating procedures of social distancing.
No action had been taken against any shopping mall or shopkeepers in Rawalpindi despite the directives of Punjab Chief Minister SardarUsmanBuzdar that were simply to make the people obey to SOPs.
The number of confirmed patients in Rawalpindi reached 1541 while 63 people died and 304 patients got discharged after recovery. At present, 1174 confirmed patients are under treatment in the hospitals. As many as 579 patients were quarantine in their houses.
Apart from this, 426 suspected patients were also brought to three hospitals of Rawalpindi and their samples had been sent to National Institute of Health (NIH) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital laboratory for COVID-19 serology but the report will come after three to four days.
The local administrations also kept 2491 persons in quarantines who had been close contacts of the confirmed patients including 1912 who people had been isolated in their houses. District health authority teams had been deployed to monitor the health of the people isolated in their houses.
The number of patients are increasing in Rawalpindi district only as compared with neighboring three district Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal. Total 14 new patients reported in three districts on Thursday including 13 in Attock and one in Chakwal while in Rawalpindi district as many as 117 patients were reported on Thursday.
On Thursday, two patients died from BaghSardaran but district administration had not taken any action to seal the streets. Only Rawalpindi Waste Management Company conducted the operation in and around the houses of patients and disinfected the area with chemicals.
Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Capt (R) Muhammad Mehmood told media that Punjab Chief Minister SardarUsmanBuzdar also expressed concerns over the violation of SOPs in the markets and bazaars and issued directives for the district administration to take action against the violators.
He said that government stopped the religious procession on Youm-e-Ali and limited the number of Aitikaf in mosques. He said that majalis would be held in houses and Imambargahs and the Internal Security Department has issued 20-point guidelines sent to inspector general police, commissioners, deputy commissioners, RPOs, CPOs, and DPOs from across the province.