Pakistan on Tuesday reported its seventh coronavirus-related death as nationwide tally of confirmed cases rose to 959.
A 57-year-old patient lost his life in Lahore, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid confirmed. The patient, identified as Afrasiyab, was admitted to Mayo Hospital Lahore. “Unfortunately, a COVID19 Patient Afrasiyab, aged 57, who was admitted in Mayo Hospital, lost his life on Tuesday. These are indeed difficult times for the whole country. The only way we can fight this pandemic is by staying indoors and following the precautionary measures,” she said in a tweet.
According to the National Command and Control Centre for coronavirus, out of the total 956 cases, 410 were reported in Sindh, 265 in Punjab, 110 in Balochistan, 81 in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, 78 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 15 in Islamabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 40 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, taking the provincial tally to 78.
At least 10 more patients recovered in Sindh on Tuesday, taking the tally of recovered patients in the province to 14. “Another 10 patients of #COVID?19 in #Sindh have recovered and their tests have come negative. Total number of patients who have recovered in Sindh are now 14. Alhamdolillah,” Murtaza Wahab said in a tweet.
Gilgit-Baltistan government also announced recovery of four patients of coronavirus in the region. A spokesperson of the regional government said the patients belonged to Gilgit and Skardu. Two patients from Gilgit had already recovered at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, the spokesperson added.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah decided to send 640 pilgrims who were being quarantined in Sukkur to their homes after they tested negative for coronavirus. The returning pilgrims have been directed to stay inside their homes for a few days.
On the international front, Britain posted its biggest daily rise in deaths caused by coronavirus on Tuesday as the number of confirmed cases increased rapidly, underlining the urgency behind the government’s move to lock down the country. The death toll across the United Kingdom rose by 87 on Tuesday to 422, a 26 per cent increase on the day, the health ministry said in a statement. Confirmed cases rose to 8,077 from 6,650, a 21% rise that followed a couple of days in which the rate of increase appeared to have tailed off somewhat.
Turkey’s health minister confirmed seven more deaths from coronavirus, taking the country’s death toll from the virus to 37. According to Anadolu Agency, health minister Fahrettin Koca also confirmed that 293 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 1,529.
The World Health Organization said that the United States could become the new global epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. In Geneva, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters there had been a ‘very large acceleration’ in infections in the United States. Asked whether the United States could become the new epicentre, Harris said, “We are now seeing a very large acceleration in cases in the US. So it does have that potential.”
Some US state and local officials have decried a lack of coordinated federal action, saying that having localities act on their own has put them in competition for supplies.
A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s health ministry confirmed the first death from coronavirus in the country on Tuesday.
