The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 17,699 on Friday, with 6,340 cases in Punjab, 6,675 in Sindh, 2,799 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,136 in Balochistan, 340 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 343 in Islamabad and 66 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has claimed at least 408 lives while some 4,315 coronavirus patients have recovered.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Friday said that 662 more cases were reported in the province in a single day, raising the virus tally to 6,675, while six people succumbed to Covid-19 as the death toll climbed to 118. In a video statement, he said the 662 persons found infected also included 190 passengers among 438 who had arrived from Dubai, Sharjah and Colombo. Among them, he said, 92 passengers belonged to Sindh, 56 to Punjab, 24 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 18 to Balochistan. “If we don’t consider these 190 cases, the number reported on the day reduces to 472, showing that the pandemic is still playing havoc in Sindh,” he said, urging citizens to strictly observe social distancing and pandemic guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation.
Speaking with regards to the geographical incidence of the virus, the CM said that the highest number of cases among 662 newly-reported ones belong to Karachi, numbering 446. Of these, 173 were detected in Malir, 92 in east district, 70 in South district, 56 in Central district, 33 in West district and 22 in Korangi, he said. The metropolis has had 4,873 cases reported so far.
The Balochistan health department, in its daily situational report, confirmed two more casualties due to coronavirus to bring the provincial death toll to 16. Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani has said that another 87 people have contracted coronavirus in the province to bring the tally to 1,136. At least 86 of these patients belong to Quetta and one from Pishin, he said in a tweet, adding that this brings the total number of local transmission cases to 985 in the province.
Fifteen more people have died of the coronavirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the provincial death to 161, according to the KP health department. Out of the 15 deaths, 10 were recorded in Peshawar, two in Nowshera, and one each in Swat, Battagram and Kohat. The province also reported 172 new cases of the virus, with its tally of infections rising to 2,799.
Punjab health authorities reported 120 new cases, raising the provincial tally to 6,340. According to health authorities, 768 pilgrims, 1,926 associated with Raiwind Tableeghi Ijtima, 86 prisoners and 3,560 others tested positive for the virus. A total of 106 deaths have been reported in Punjab, while 1,850 patients have recovered and 27 in critical condition. Eighteen more healthcare providers on the frontline of the fight against the novel coronavirus have been infected with the infection in the country during the previous 24 hours, according to National Command and Control Centre’s report. Those diagnosed with the deadly virus included 15 doctors, one nurse and two paramedics. Of the total, eight doctors tested positive for the infection in Balochistan, while seven doctors and two health workers have been affected by the disease in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. No healthcare provider was diagnosed as positive in Sindh and Punjab during this period. The report said a doctor died from the infection in KP during the last 24 hours.
The total number of health care providers who have been affected by the disease thus far stands at 462, including 231 doctors, 68 nurses and 173 health workers. Of them, 219 health professionals have self-isolated while 138 are under treatment in various hospitals with 94 healthcare givers recuperated from the infection so far. A total of 58 doctors, 21 nurses and 23 paramedics have been infected with the virus in Punjab so far. Whereas, Sindh has seen 36 doctors, 17 nurses, and 33 paramedics contracting the infection.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the number of doctors, nurses and paramedics affected by the pathogen stands at 58, 14 and 40 respectively. In Islamabad, 18 medics, 11 nurses and 13 paramedics have been infected with the disease. In Gilgit Baltistan, a medic, a nurse and 16 paramedics have been diagnosed with the virus. Whereas, 59 doctors, four nurses and 35 paramedics have fallen victim to the disease in Balochistan.
