Delta Variant Has Faster Transmission Rate Than Others: Minister

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Aug, 2021 ) :Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid on Tuesday said that there had been a steady rise in COVID-19 cases related to delta variant in the fourth wave.

Speaking at a press conference at Chief Minister Secretariat, 90-Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, she said delta variant had far much faster transmission rate than other variants and Punjab was mostly reporting fast increase in cases of this variant recently.

The minister said that Punjab had reported 967 cases in the last 24 hours and 40 people had lost their lives. She added more than 20,000 tests were performed in the last 24 hours and there was an increase in test to positivity ratio. The ratio was 14% in Attock, 13 % in Dera Ghazi Khan, 11% in Jhang, 9% in Narowal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi, 8% in Layyah, Lahore, Gujrat and Lodhran. She said there was a considerable decline in this ratio a month back but suddenly there had been a spike and mega cities were reporting bigger increase. She said as many as 193 patients were under treatment at 2918 beds reserved for COVID-19 patients. She maintained 170 ventilators had been reserved at DHQs and THQs hospitals. She said the number of reserved especially Oxygenated beds were being increased. She said adequate arrangements for treatment were available and all medicines including Actemra were available in stock.

Dr. Yasmin appealed the people to follow SOPs on Ashura days. She said there were restrictions on all kinds of public gatherings. "We all must take care of our own and other's health and our own safety is more important than anything else" she said. An awareness campaign was also being run in the province and SOPs were being enforced. COVID-19 had affected the vaccinated people much less than the unvaccinated people, she said. "So far we have vaccinated 23.5 million people in Punjab and there is adequate vaccine stock available." Vaccine supply was coming uninterrupted from the Fedal Government and currently there were over 30000 doses available. "We are trying to vaccinate maximum number of people and we are vaccinating more than 500,000 people per day" she said, adding that vaccination capacity would be enhanced after Muharram days and vaccination centers would remain open during Muharram, she added. The vaccination facility was available at 27 large hospitals as well and South Punjab was reporting rise in the number of vaccinated people, the minister added.

To a question, she said all out efforts were being made to vaccinate more and more people through effective microplanning. A large consignment of Astra Zeneca and Moderna was distributed among people in Punjab, she informed. All kinds of vaccines were available in the province, she mentioned.

To another query, she said the issue of acceptability of Chinese vaccine in other countries had been placed in front of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the Federal Government shall very soon announce important development on this. She said authorities were already in correspondence with the Saudi and American authorities on the issue. Vaccinated people were being placed in quarantine in Canada and the UK and the Foreign Office was also keenly following it up.

To another question, she said more than 20 million people had received both the doses of vaccines. She said the credit of hiring of more than 40,000 doctors, distribution of Sehat Sahulat cards among 8.5 million families and construction of state-of-the-art mother and child hospitals went to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

Responding to a question on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, she said she would not hesitate to check his health status as a doctor as and when asked to do so. she said good quality health services were available in Pakistan and she could assure top quality treatment services to former PM if he returned back.

To another question, she said inquiry had been initiated against doctor over irregularities and it was right of an administrative secretary to initiate action on violation of discipline. She said private Teaching Hospitals were cooperating with the government in free treatment of COVID-19 patients. Corona SOPs were being enforced during Muharram days and the state was utilizing optimum resources to safeguard people from the pandemic, she added.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Sarah Aslam, Additional Secretary Development Specialized Healthcare and Medical education Department Dr. Asif Tufail, Ahmer Khan, Professor Javed Chaudhry were present on the occasion.