LAHORE – The Punjab Health Department and local administration proposed acomplete lockdown in the provincial capital as the Covid-19 positivityratio climbed to 19 percent.

The positivity rate in five cities of Punjab was recorded at 15 percentwhile the hospitals are facing a shortage of ventilators and beds as thenumber of critical patients climbed in last three weeks.

Punjab Health Minister Prof Dr. Yasmin Rashid has also intimidated that ifprecautionary measures are not taken, the situation in Lahore and othercities will worsen.

Explaining the alarming situation in the Punjab capital, she said there arezero ventilators at the Jinnah Hospital, Services Hospital, GangaramHospital, and Kot Khawaja Saeed Teaching Hospital while the OutpatientDepartment treatment section of the Jinnah Hospital has also been closedfor the public.

Besides the shortage of ventilators, oxygen beds at hospitals across Lahorehave also reached their 70 percent capacity.

We don’t have any other option rather than the complete lockdown in Lahorehowever the final decision will be taken by the Punjab government, theprovincial health minister added.

Meanwhile, 58 people lost their lives due to novel coronavirus while 4,584fresh cases have reported in the last 24 hours. The death toll has surgedto 15,501 while the number of confirmed cases stands at 725,602.