The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 3,766 on Monday, with 52 people losing lives so far due to the deadly virus.
Of the total cases, 1,918 were reported in Punjab, 932 in Sindh, 405 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 211 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 202 in Balochistan, 82 in Islamabad and 16 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. At least 259 people have fully recovered so far.
On Monday, two more coronavirus deaths were reported in Sindh, according to provincial government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab, bringing the total number of deaths in the province to 17.
Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro, a doctor infected with coronavirus, passed away in Karachi on Monday. The renowned skin specialist was working as medical superintendent (MS) at Al-Khidmat Hospital in the city’s Gulshan-e-Hadeed neighbourhood.
Dr Soomro helped building a COVID-19 treatment centre with three operational ventilators at the health facility. He had also worked as chief medical officer at Pakistan Steel Mills and medical superintendent of Fareeda Yaqoob Al-Khidmat Hospital in the past.
Coronavirus cases seem to be rapidly increasing in Punjab as more than 538 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the province in last 24 hours. With the confirmation of new cases, Punjab’s coronavirus tally has ballooned to 1,918.
A spokesperson for the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department said of the total 1918, 557 cases were detected at quarantine centres where pilgrims are being kept after return from Iran and another 527 in people associated with Raiwind congregation.
Punjab’s health ministry announced that two pilots working for Pakistan’s national carrier – PIA – have also tested positive for coronavirus. Both the pilots were screened after flying special flights to Canada with Pakistani-origin Canadian nationals. The results of the screening came out positive. The pilots had been stuck in Canada for a few days with five others and were unable to fly back to Pakistan amidst the suspension of global airspace due to the global coronavirus pandemic. They have been shifted to isolated quarantine centre of a nearby private hospital in Lahore.
Three Pakistani nationals, who returned from India last week, were moved to isolation ward of the Services Hospital over coronavirus symptoms. According to Punjab Health department, three people including a patient, attendant and the donor were tested positive after returning from India. They had gone to India for liver transplantation and were found infected with the virus upon return.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the authorities on Monday decided to reopen Mardan’s Union Council Manga after 109 patients tested negative for deadly coronavirus. Mardan Deputy Commissioner Abid Wazir has directed to cleanse the UC with disinfectant sprays before de-sealing it.
Balochistan on Monday confirmed 10 more cases of the coronavirus, taking the provincial tally to 202. According to the provincial government’s spokesperson, Liaquat Shahwani, as many as 126 persons were tested for the virus on Monday, of whom 10 tested positive. The patients will be shifted to hospitals, he said.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan confirmed that 31 more people have recovered from the COVID-19 in the province, who have been discharged from hospitals. The Giglit-Baltistan health department reported one more case, taking the tally of infected to 211. So far there have been three deaths in the region and 15 recoveries. There are currently 193 patients being treated for the virus. The worldwide number of officially confirmed fatalities from the novel coronavirus now stands at above 68,000. More than one million declared cases have been registered in 200 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. Of these cases, at least 250,000 are now considered recovered.
