Covid patients occupying 94pc of Gujrat’s oxygen beds

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: A whopping 94 per cent of Gujrat city’s oxygen beds are occupied with coronavirus patients, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Tuesday, as the forum called for stepping up average daily vaccinations for healthcare workers.

According to the NCOC’s daily situation report, Gujrat’s oxygen beds’ occupancy leapt to 94 per cent, up from 61 per cent two days prior.

Pakistan’s active cases stood at 22,184 after 1,163 more people tested positive, while 42 patients died of Covid-related complications in the 24-hour-period leading to Tuesday. Some 1,973 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country, 210 of whom were on ventilators.

Lahore continued to lead the country in ventilators occupancy with 34 per cent, followed by Islamabad 30 per cent, Peshawar 20 per cent and Multan 18 per cent. In terms of oxygen beds, 94 per cent of Gujrat’s oxygen beds were full. Peshawar came second with 38 per cent, Lahore 24 per cent, and Islamabad 23 per cent. Since the epidemic began, a total of 582,528 cases were detected, while 12,938 had died.

Meanwhile, the NCOC was briefed that private sector pharmaceutical companies and healthcare facilities have applied with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) to import Covid vaccines.

The NCOC meeting, chaired by National Coordinator Lt-Gen Hamood Uz Zaman Khan, took a detailed review of the epidemic curve chart data and the national vaccine strategy. The forum was briefed that private entities had applied for authorisation to import Covid vaccines, the assent for which the federal cabinet had already given.

The forum was informed that over 181,000 frontline healthcare workers have been vaccinated so far. “However, average daily vaccination needs to be enhanced to achieve desired results of the national vaccination drive,” the NCOC said in a statement. The forum was told that the provinces were improving their daily vaccinations with varying ratios which would help in meeting the set targets.