Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: As many as 3,359 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in the country in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 240,847.
61 more people fell prey to the highly contagious disease during this period, pushing the country’s death toll to 4,983, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on coronavirus.
3,359 new cases were detected when 24,333 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours. 90,594 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment while 145,311 patients have recuperated from the disease thus far.
More than 1.491 tests have been conducted across the country.
99,362 cases have been detected in Sindh so far, 84, 587 in Punjab, 29,052 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,052 in Balochistan, 13,731 in Islamabad, 1,459 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 1,605 in Gilgit Baltistan.
Global cases go past 12 million
Global coronavirus cases have exceeded 12 million, according to a Reuters tally, as evidence mounts of the airborne spread of the disease that has killed more than half a million people in seven months.
The number of cases is triple that of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organization.
Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the novel virus, while others, such as China and Australia, implement another round of shutdowns in response to a resurgence in infections. Experts say alterations to work and social life could last until a vaccine is available.
The first case was reported in China in early January and it took 149 days to hit 6 million cases. It has taken less than a third of that time – just 39 days – to double to 12 million cases, the tally shows.
Sindh surpassed 100,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday after 1,538 more people tested positive, as Karachi remains the most affected with infections nearing 80,000 in the city.
As of today, Pakistan has recorded a total of 242,386 infections. Sindh remains at the top with 100,900 cases, while Punjab has recorded 84,587, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 29,052, Balochistan 11,052, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,605, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir 1,459 cases.
The government is now claiming that it has “flattened” the COVID-19 curve in the country and has credited its “smart lockdown” strategy for the outcome.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while addressing a ceremony in Islamabad today, said Pakistan’s curve of infections is “flattening” and advised the people to take extra caution during Eid-ul-Azha to maintain the trend.
Earlier, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said that Pakistan’s COVID-19 tally can remain under 400,000 if health guidelines and SOPs are followed.
The minister on Friday said that the COVID-19 death rate is also “declining” in the country and since the past few days, only 5% people tested positive for the virus.
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, in a statement today, said that the province’s death rate stands at 1.6%, while the virus detection rate is 19%.
Till the filing of this report, the province had 41,596 active cases, out of which, 581 were in critical condition, including 75 who were on ventilators.
However, 1,254 patients recovered from the disease, bumping the recoveries to 57,627, and the province’s recovery rate to 57%.
Shedding light on the new cases that have been detected in the province’s districts, the chief minister said out of 1,538 new cases, 722 have been detected from six districts of Karachi division — 204 in East, 166 in South, 98 in Korangi, 94 in Central, 75 in Malir, and 49 in West.
Hyderabad recorded 97, Sukkur 88, Naushahro Feroze 72, Badin 66, Sanghar 55, Shikarpur 53, Larkana 32, Sujawal 26, Thatta 24, Umerkot 23, Ghotki 21, Tando Allahyar 18, Kambar 17, Jamshoro 14, Mirpur Khas 12, Dadu six, Jacobabad five, Shaheed Benazirabad four, and Kashmore and Khairpur one each.
Coronavirus cases in the Sindh police department have mounted to 1925 on Thursday, after 40 more personnel tested positive for the infection in the past 2 days.
According to Sindh police spokesperson, the number of deaths in the police department from coronavirus has surged to 16. He said that 14 police officials belonged to the Karachi region while the other two had been performing duties in the Hyderabad region.
1925 personnel of the Sindh police have been tested positive for the coronavirus so far, while 457 have recovered their health from the deadly virus.
The spokesperson further said that currently 1425 officers and personnel of Sindh police are fighting the pandemic.
As many as 3,359 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in the country in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 240,847.
61 more people fell prey to the highly contagious disease during this period, pushing the country’s death toll to 4,983, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on coronavirus.
3,359 new cases were detected when 24,333 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours. 90,594 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment while 145,311 patients have recuperated from the disease thus far.
Coronavirus cases in the Sindh police department have mounted to 1925 on Thursday, after 40 more personnel tested positive for the infection in the past 2 days.
According to Sindh police spokesperson, the number of deaths in the police department from coronavirus has surged to 16.
He said that 14 police officials belonged to the Karachi region while the other two had been performing duties in the Hyderabad region.
1925 personnel of the Sindh police have been tested positive for the coronavirus so far, while 457 have recovered their health from the deadly virus.
The spokesperson further said that currently 1425 officers and personnel of Sindh police are fighting the pandemic.
As many as 3,359 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in the country in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 240,847.
61 more people fell prey to the highly contagious disease during this period, pushing the country’s death toll to 4,983, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on coronavirus.
3,359 new cases were detected when 24,333 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours. 90,594 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment while 145,311 patients have recuperated from the disease thus far.
