Coronavirus: Pakistan's medical facilities crumbling under rising COVID cases

Pakistan's medical facilities are crumbling under the mounting pressure from the rapidly escalating COVID-19 situation in the country.

According to Islamabad District Health Officer Zaeem Zia, Islamabad's coronavirus positivity ratio has risen to 9 per cent as of Saturday, while recording 463 new cases. Zia also said that the rise in infections has been steady for the past three to four weeks, reported Geo News.

The crisis has led to Islamabad's hospital beds being filled up rapidly. There are a total of 836 hospital beds in Islamabad, of which 525 have been occupied by coronavirus patients, say sources.

Out of the 116 ventilators reserved for COVID-19 patients, 69 are currently under use, and the number is quickly rising.

Meanwhile, 90 out of 105 beds at the Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre (IHITC) are occupied by patients, while 149 out of 183 beds have been filled at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), reported Geo News.

When it comes to ventilators, 10 out of 21 ventilators at PIMS and 12 out of 20 ventilators are being utilised. Moreover, at the Polyclinic Hospital, where all scheduled surgeries have been called off, 100 per cent of ventilators are under operation.

Sources cited "insufficient arrangements for high flow oxygen beds" at the Federal Government Hospital, where there are reportedly no ventilators available for COVID-19 patients.

Apart from patients, even frontline workers are not safe from the virus, as 46 of the Polyclinic Hospital's healthcare workers have tested positive for the virus, including two doctors, 17 nurses and 27 paramedics, Geo News reported.

Oxygen supplies at the hospital have also come under stress with the use rising to three times the usual.

Amid the worrying situation, Pakistan's National Command and Operations Centre has reported that children are increasingly falling victim to the pandemic, with two children aged between one and 10 years dying from COVID-19 over the course of a single day.

In the month of April, so far seven children have succumbed to the virus.

Pakistan recorded the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus on Saturday since the outbreak of the pandemic in February last year. At least 157 people died of COVID-19 in a single day, pushing the national tally to 16,999, while 5,908 new infections were reported, ARY News reported citing the NCOC.

(ANI)

Also Read: Coronavirus: Japan declares 3rd state of emergency in four prefectures over COVID-19