LAHORE: Punjab reported 44 Covid deaths and 1,700 new infections during the last 24 hours.Official figures show that Lahore is at the top among 16 cities of the country housing the largest number of critical patients followed by Multan and Karachi.

According to the data, 221 coronavirus critical patients were struggling for life on ventilators in Lahore, 85 in Multan and 55 in Karachi .

Similarly, Lahore is also the second among these 16 cities of the country where the largest number (329) patients of the virus were on high flow oxygen followed by Faisalabad with 232 cases.

The bed occupancy rate in the intensive care units of both public and private hospitals in Lahore was 64.4 percent while in high dependency units 29.5 percent.

Total number of the Covid deaths in Punjab reached 9411, according to the official figures released by the Punjab government on Monday.

Of the total new positive cases reported during the last 24 hours, 713 were reported from Lahore and rest from Lodhran, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Jhang, Bahawal-nagar, Khushab, Layyah, Sheikhupura, Norowal, Gujrat, Kasur, Okara, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Muzafargarh Sialkot, Chiniot, Jehlum, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Khanewal, Nankana Sahib and Hafizabad.

Meanwhile, the Lahore police intensified crackdown on people violating the Covid guidelines.

A spokesperson for the Lahore police said the traffic police imposed fine on 1474 people for driving without wearing masks during the last four days. The traffic police also got cases lodged against 78 drivers of the public transport for violating the Covid standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the city.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2021