The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 11,057 on Thursday, with 4,767 cases reported in Punjab, 3,671 in Sindh, 1,453 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 607 in Balochistan, 290 in Gilgit Baltistan, 214 in Islamabad and 55 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has claimed at least 235 lives while some 2,337 coronavirus patients have recovered. Some 544 fresh cases were reported in the country during the last 24 hours.
As much as 10 more people were tested Covid-19 positive in Gilgit-Baltistan during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 290. Four cases were diagnosed in Nagar, three in Gilgit and three in Astore. Eleven people also recovered from the deadly virus in the region.
The Sindh government has decided to permit 237 students hailing from Gilgit Baltistan enrolled at various education institutions in Karachi to return to their hometowns after they tested negative for Covid-19. In a statement issued on Thursday, Sindh government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial government tested 261 students from GB for coronavirus and 237 of them students tested negative. The tests were administered for free at a special camp in Shah Faisal Colony, Korangi. Tests for more students will be carried out in later phases.
Balochistan Thursday reported another 55 cases of coronavirus, bringing the provincial tally to 607, according to the health department’s statement. As many as 172 Covid-19 patients have fully recovered while eight people have succumbed to the highly contagious disease, it added.
Health officials on Thursday collected samples for coronavirus testing in Hyderabad’s Khaskheli Mohallah where 10 members of a policeman’s family tested positive for the virus. The samples were collected from all those residents who may had come into contact with the 10 patients.
Health authorities in Punjab reported 177 new coronavirus cases in the province. The total number of cases in Punjab now stands at 4,767.
Two more coronavirus patients lost their lives on Thursday at the Mayo Hospital Lahore, bringing the death toll to 21 in the hospital thus so far. According to Dr Asad Aslam, an 80-year-old male patient and 53-year-old female patient were pronounced dead at the hospital. Both were suffering from coronavirus.
Authorities in Sindh reported 289 new cases in the province, raising the provincial tally to 3,671. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said four more persons succumbed to the virus as the province’s death toll reached 73. Khyber Tribal District Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir reported 21 more coronavirus cases in the district, raising the tally to 86. The number of estimated coronavirus cases in Pakistan can rise to an estimated 200,000 by mid-July if ‘effective measures’ are not taken, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Thursday.
“Pakistan’s #COVID19 Response Plan is a joint strategy of the Government of #Pakistan, the @UN and partners. It is aligned with the @GlobalGoalsUN, Pakistan’s National Action Plan and WHO’s global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan,” Director General WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom said at the launch of the Pakistan National Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan virtual conference. He said that the required funding for the plan was $595 million which will be allocated to support various measures. “Without effective interventions there could be an estimated 200K+ cases by mid-July. The impacts on the economy could be devastating, doubling the number of people living in poverty. We must act in solidarity, with a coherent, coordinated approach,” he was quoted as saying.
