As many as five more patients fell prey to coronavirus across Pakistan on Sunday, taking the national death toll to 17, as Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar confirmed sixth fatality at the hands of coronavirus.
“Sadly we have lost another soul to COVID-19 today. A 68 year old lady, who came from KSA [Saudi Arabia] and was under treatment in Rahim Yar Khan. So far we have lost six lives while 593 confirmed COVID-19 patients are under treatment,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle on Sunday. “Our teams are constantly tracking and testing contacts of patients,” he added.
Revealing details of coronavirus cases in the province, CM Buzdar said currently there are 318 confirmed cases at quarantine facilities in DG Khan, Multan, Lahore and Faisalabad. Separately, Lahore has 116 patients, Gujrat 55, Gujranwala 11, Jhelum 28, Rawalpindi 30, Multan 2, Faisalabad 9, Mandi Bahauddin 4, Narowal 1, Rahim Yar Khan 2, Vehari 2, Sargodha 2, Attock 1, Bahawalnagar 1, Mianwali 2, Nankana Sahib 2, Khushab 1, Bahawalpur 1 and DG Khan 5.
Earlier, the KP government also confirmed another coronavirus death, as the provincial toll rose to five. According to health officials, the 78-year-old-man who passed away in Abbottabad was infected by Tableeghi Jamaat members in the area.
According to reports, the KP government traced and quarantined three close contacts of a man who died from the novel coronavirus in Abbottabad. According to a daily report by the provincial health department, the quarantined people were with the deceased person in the Tableeghi Jamaat.
District Health Officer (DHO) Abbottabad Dr Faisal Khanzada said the patient was under treatment at CMH Abbottabad. The five deaths in KP are in Hangu, Mardan, Parachinar, Lower Dir and Abbottabad, the DHO said.
Meanwhile, two patients died in Karachi, a spokesperson for Sindh Health Department confirmed on Sunday, taking the provincial death toll to three.
Both individuals passed away from pneumonia along with COVID-19, the spokesperson noted, adding that they were from Karachi and aged 77 and 83.
Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho explained that the two deaths occurred late on March 28. “We received the lab reports of both patients after they had passed away and we found out that the cause of death in both cases was pneumonia along with COVID-19,” she said.
Also, according to a notification issued by the Sindh Home Department, all petrol pumps within Karachi city areas will follow the timings set for shops during the lockdown from 8am to 5pm.
As per the notice, tyre shops may remain open as well as petrol pumps on highways for transport of goods.
Over in Gilgit-Baltistan, another health worker died of coronavirus. Malik Ashdar, 55, was looking after suspected and confirmed coronavirus patients in Nagar district, but due to the lack of protective gear among health workers, he soon developed coronavirus symptoms. After spending a week in an isolation centre, he passed away on Sunday while his test reports came hours later, confirming his infection. A few days earlier, Dr Usama Riaz died after developing complications due to coronavirus.
It is worth mentioning here that a number of health workers continue to perform their duties in the area without proper protective gear. There are currently 34 confirmed cases of the virus in the district, including 11 locally-transmitted cases, but health officials and residents suspect there could be more cases and have urged the federal government to ensure the provision of better facilities.
Meanwhile, as many as 27 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat staying at the Raiwind Tableeghi Markaz have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to health authorities.
The positive cases have emerged from the 35 people who have been tested at the facility so far, confirmed Lahore Deputy Commissioner Danish Afzal.
There are around 1,100 to 1,200 people currently under lockdown at the markaz, all of whom will be tested for the virus, said DC Afzal. Of these, around 400 to 500 persons are foreigners.
On the other hand, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal, in a tweet, informed that 17 coronavirus patients at Sheikh Zahid Hospital, after spending 14 days at the facility, had now tested negative. He said that the patients would be tested again, after which they would be allowed to go home.
