20,000 protective suits to be provided to doctors, paramedics fighting COVID-19: Salman Iqbal

KARACHI: President and CEO of ARY Digital Network, Salman Iqbal, said that he has ordered 20,000 protective suits for doctors and paramedics fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Mr Salman Iqbal, while speaking during ARY News’ show 11th Hour’, said that protective suits will soon be provided to the doctors and paramedical staff who are fighting this pandemic as frontline warriors.

He added that the protective suits are all ‘Made in Pakistan’ and certified by the government of the country.

About ARY’s special transmission for coronavirus affectees, Mr Salman Iqbal said that the funds collected through this telethon will be distributed amongst the affectees through a proper system.

He also announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan will also become a part of this transmission.

It is pertinent to note here that, just yesterday, Mr Salman Iqbal announced donation of 20,000 coronavirus testing kits to help Pakistan’s fight against the pandemic. He also urged people to donate generously for the cause.

The pandemic

Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus cases reached to 1,717 including 628 in Punjab, 535 in Sindh, 217 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 152 in Balochistan, 128 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), 51 in Islamabad, six in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The number of patients recovered from the virus stands at 57, whereas, 20 nationals lost their lives and 11 remain critical in different hospitals.

The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and recognized it as a pandemic on 11 March.

As of 30 March 2020, more than 775,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 200 countries and territories, resulting in approximately 36,500 deaths. More than 160,000 people have since recovered.