ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Sunday that doctors and paramedical staff members were first defence line of the country amid ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19 pandemic, ARY News reported.
FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the statement while talking exclusively to ARY News’ special transmission on coronavirus.
The foreign minister said Pakistan has also started manufacturing masks by having capacity to manufacture 20-30 thousands masks per day. He added that China has also provided masks and testing kits to Pakistan to overcome the pandemic.
He appealed people to carry out joint efforts as a nation by taking part in the campaign to equip medical teams with necessary material. He said Pakistan is in urgent need of medical equipment and masks for doctors who are playing as a defence front line.
President and CEO ARY Digital Network, Salman Iqbal announced donation of 20,000 testing kits for screening of COVID-19 besides paying a rich tribute to doctors and paramedical staff working day and night to contain the pandemic.
Salman Iqbal made the announcement during ARY News’ special transmission on coronavirus pandemic.
He said, “Doctors and paramedics are our front line heroes and we are trying to provide necessary medical facilities to doctors.”
Salman Iqbal urged people to follow government’s guidelines by staying inside homes to stop fast spread of the deadly virus.
The total count of coronavirus cases jumped to 1571 on Sunday and 17 deaths were reported including two people passed away today in Sindh’s capital Karachi.
The latest statistics of COVID-19 cases showed the highest count in Punjab with 571 patients, 502 in Sindh, 192 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 141 in Balochistan, 116 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), 43 in Islamabad, two in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
11 patients infected with the virus are being said in critical conditions and some among them were put on ventilators. The patients who have recovered from the disease were 28 so far.
