Pakistan’s coronavirus tally reaches 1128, confirms Zafar Mirza

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that medics tackling coronavirus at front line will be provided with all necessary equipment by April 05, ARY NEWS reported.

He said that they were going to initiate a training programme for doctors and paramedics and their first target in the fight against coronavirus is to train 5000 of them in one month.

“Dr Faisal Sultan is included in the health team and is made a focal person on the matter,” he said adding he would be providing guidance on dealing with the virus.

Zafar Mirza said that overall coronavirus patients in the country have reached to 1128 out of which 21 of them have recovered completely while 575 of them being treated at various hospitals are in better condition.

He asked the masses to refrain from coming out of their homes unnecessarily and in case of any emergency, people should refrain from handshakes.

“Wash your hands and use sanitizers at regular intervals,” he advised.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has formed a parliamentary committee comprising members of both the upper and lower houses of parliament to monitor the government’s measures to tackle the coronavirus crisis.

The speaker formed the committee after consultations with Prime Minister Imran Khan and opposition leaders.

The committee comprising 13 members of the Senate and 12 of the National Assembly will assess and monitor the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. It will also take stock of the adverse impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the country’s economy.

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Swati, Adviser to the PM on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza are part of the committee.

Read More: Senate chairman, senators to donate salary in fight against COVID-19

Among other members of the committee are Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, PML-Q’s Tariq Bashir Cheema, PPP’s Ghaus Baksh Mahar and Pervez Ashraf.

The Senators part of the committee include Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz, PML-N’s Mushahidullah, Sitara Ayaz, JUI-F’s Ghafoor Haideri, National Party leader Mir Hasil Bizenjo, and JI chief Sirajul Haq.

Sherry Rehman, Usman Kakar, Jahanzeb Khan, Jamaluddin, Muzaffar Shah, Aurangzeb Khan are also part of the committee.