Number of COVID-19 cases crosses 3,000 mark in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus cases has jumped above 3,000 including 18 patients declared critical after the confirmation of 179 new infections during the last 24 hours, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The country has witnessed an increase in COVID-19 cases as the current number of infections reached to 3,059 on Sunday evening.

1,319 confirmed cases are from Punjab, 881 in Sindh out of the overall figure of COVID-19 patients across the country. 372 patients are kept under isolation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 206 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), 189 in Balochistan, 78 in federal capital Islamabad and 14 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Read: KP MPA Abdul Salam Afridi recuperates from coronavirus

According to the national dashboard on coronavirus pandemic, 170 patients have recovered from the disease so far, whereas, 45 patients lost their lives and 18 remained in critical condition.

Punjab

In Punjab, novel coronavirus appears to be rapidly spreading among inmates in Camp Jail as 26 more prisoners were diagnosed with the contagion today.

Read: Punjab government increases financial aid of deserving families

Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department confirmed the number of inmates testing positive for COVID-19 in the Camp Jail has reached 29.

Moreover, Sindh reported 51 new cases of COVID-19 pandemic in different parts of the province during the last 24 hours, raising the tally of such patients to 881.

Sindh

Sindh health minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed that as many as 51 more cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Sindh, of them 37 from Karachi, four from Hyderabad, two from Noushehroferoz and one each from Sukkur and Sajawal.

She maintained that at least 13 people were affected by the pandemic in Larkana thus far. The minister said that 58 people have recovered from coronavirus in the province.

Read: Sindh CM seeks SOPs for reopening industries during pandemic

However, the province’s recovery rate has also improved as the provincial government claimed that 66 more patients recovered from the coronavirus pandemic at the Sukkur quarantine facility on Sunday.

The recovered patients twice tested negative for COVID-19 and will be allowed to go home today. A spokesperson said they belonged to different districts of the province that has so far reported 881 cases of COVID-19.

‘No prediction for lockdown’

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said today he cannot make any prediction regarding the end or continuation of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown across the country.

While addressing a press conference, Umar said no predictions could be made regarding the restrictions amid COVID-19 crisis would be lifted after April 14 or not. He added that the decision regarding the lockdown will be taken this week by the federal government.

Read: Parliamentary committee on COVID-19 to meet tomorrow

“Pakistani nation is exhibiting discipline [amid lockdown to contain coronavirus pandemic] excluding people from some areas avoiding to adopt precautionary measures. We are getting achievements in stopping the spread of the virus.”

“I’m not saying that coronavirus has not spread but its pace is slowed down after imposing restrictions in cities. The virus spread can be ended through social distancing and safety measures.”