LAHORE: The Covid-19 death toll reached 7,799 after 81 more patients of the virus died during the last 24 hours in Punjab. Of these, 38 deaths took place in Lahore alone where the number of total casualties has reached 3,215.

Similarly, 2,902 more people tested positive for the virus during the last 24 hours in the province, taking the total number of infections to 282,469. Out of these, 1,466 were reported from Lahore while others from Attock, Chakwal, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Khanewal, Gujrat, Khushab, Okara, Rajanpur, Pakpattan, Toba Tek Singh, Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bhakkar, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Chiniot, etc.

As the number of critical patients of the virus continues to increase, the state-run hospitals are running short of ventilators.

The situation is said to be very disturbing in major teaching hospitals of Lahore where five mega health facilities have no space left for the critical patients in the intensive care units (ICUs) for ventilator support treatment.

The health department Punjab, however, claimed that it had arranged 662 more ventilators for the coronavirus patients in all the public hospitals. Of them 397 ventilators were under use while 266 others were available for patients.

It said around 250 ventilators were reserved for Lahore hospitals, of which 218 were occupied and 32 ventilators were vacant.

The Punjab government carried out 26,091 tests during last 24 hours across the province.