-Country-wide virus tally hits 216,000 as fatalities surpass 4,395
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed 91 deaths in a single day by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 216,249. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 4,395.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,133 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours. Sindh has become the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Till now 84,640 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 76,262 in Punjab, 26,598 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10,476 in Balochistan, 12,912 in Islamabad, 1,489 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,093 in Azad Kashmir.
Furthermore, 1,762 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 1,377 in Sindh, 951 in KP, 121 in Balochistan, 128 in Islamabad, 26 in GB and 30 in Azad Kashmir.
Patients are under treatment at quarantine centers of 462 hospitals where 7,295 beds are available. Pakistan has so far conducted 1,305,510 coronavirus tests and 22,418 in last 24 hours. 100,802 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 2,741 patients are in critical condition.
In the wake of increasing death toll due to coronavirus and emergence of new Corona cases in Balochistan, the provincial government has decided to extend ongoing smart lockdown in the province till July 15, 2020.
According to notification of Home and Tribal Affairs Department Balochistan issued here on Wednesday, all shopping malls, markets and shops etc., will open from 9:00 am to 07:00 pm six days of the week, while all minor and major business activities will remain closed on Friday. Wearing face masks and other precautionary measures are mandatory in public places. Sindh reported 2,139 fresh coronavirus cases across the province during the past 24 hours.
Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah in a statement on the coronavirus situation said that the total number of infections across the province has soared to 86,795 as the province conducted a total of 4,61,587 tests. Shah said that 29 more patients of coronavirus died in the last 24 hours across the province, taking the death toll from COVID-19 to 1,406. Murad Ali Shah said that 1,703 people were discharged to their homes today after recuperation from the disease across the province, taking the tally of recoveries to 48,527. The chief minister said that 36,803 coronavirus patients are undergoing treatment in Sindh, including 35,131 quarantined at homes, 158 at isolation centres and 1,514 at different hospitals.
Moreover, 707 patients under treatment at hospitals are in critical condition and 104 of them are on ventilators, he said. Murad Ali Shah said that from total 2,139 new coronavirus cases detected in the province in past 24 hours and 1,038 of the cases were reported in Karachi.
