The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 24,892 on Thursday, with 9,195 cases reported in Punjab, 9,093 in Sindh, 3,956 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,663 in Balochistan, 388 in Gilgit Baltistan, 521 in Islamabad and 76 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has claimed at least 591 lives while some 6,464 coronavirus patients have recovered so far.
At least 244 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, taking the provincial tally to 3,956, according to the KP health department. The province’s death toll from the virus rose to 209 with six new deaths reported – four in Peshawar and one each in Malakand and Mansehra. KP Minister for Housing Dr Amjad Ali tested positive for the coronavirus. He has self-quarantined at home.
KP Senator Mirza Afridi also tested positive for the coronavirus for a second time. His test result came back positive on April 27. The senator took another test 10 days later and the result was the same. He has placed himself in quarantine for the last 11 days.
Kamran Bangash, special assistant to KP chief minister on local government, has recovered from the coronavirus. Bangash, who had tested positive for Covid-19 last month, said his test returned negative on Thursday after remaining in quarantine for 14 days. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Young Doctors Association (YDA) Southern Region President Dr Faheemullah Mehsud has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to a statement by the association, 115 doctors – including Mehsud – have become infected with the respiratory illness so far. It added that all those that came in contact with the patient will be tested. The association urged the government to impose stricter lockdown measures, adding that the increase in the number of cases was alarming. Mehsud was working at Khyber Teaching Hospital’s radiology department.
Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department reported 502 new coronavirus cases, taking the provincial total to 9,195. It also reported 26 deaths, the highest single day total of any province thus far. The total number of fatalities in Punjab has risen to 182. According to the department, 3,201 people have recovered so far while 22 are in critical condition.
Sindh has recorded its highest single day death toll after 14 people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah confirmed. The total number of deaths in the province has risen to 171.
Shah said while the death rate was 1.9 per cent, “we are losing precious lives and we can control it if we all observe standard operating procedures and guidelines of experts.” Sindh’s coronavirus cases topped 9,000 after 453 new cases were reported, he said, adding that 3,534 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, out of which 453 came back positive, taking the province’s tally to 9,093. He added that 87 patients are in critical condition while 14 are on ventilators.
Members of National Assembly and essential staff that will participate in the session scheduled for May 11 have been directed to get tested for the coronavirus, according to PML-N MNA Kheal Das Kohistani. He maintained that he has contacted the Jamshoro deputy commissioner to get himself tested for the virus in order to participate in the session.
Karachi police chief AIG Ghulam Nabi Memon has prohibited all station house officers (SHO) from giving permission for burial of bodies after asking for death certificates from the heirs amid coronavirus lockdown restrictions. “It is not the job of police to demand death certificate or give permission for the burial of a body of a person who died due to natural causes,” Memon observed, adding that police may take part in the process of the burial of persons who die of Covid-19 when the concerned health official or deputy commissioner inform them about it.
