-Total cases scale 221,000 with 105,000 recoveries
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr. Zafar Mirza says the number of coronavirus cases in the country is decreasing while monsoon season would further help in reducing the cases. Talking to a private news channel, smart lockdown is the only solution to control the spread of COVID-19 and to improve the national economy.
The Special Assistant said people should go to hospitals and laboratories for the COVID-19 tests. He said 128 laboratories have been established across the country for this purpose. He said the government is taking actions against the medical stores and private laboratories for overcharging the people.
Death toll from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country has climbed to 4,473 as 78 more people died of the highly contagious disease in the past 24 hours.
According to latest data of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 4,339 new infections were detected after 22,128 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 217,808. More than 1.3 million tests have been conducted in the country while 108,642 COVID-19 patients are undergoing treatment and 104,694 patients have recuperated from the disease.
86,795 cases have been detected in Sindh so far, 77,740 in Punjab, 26,938 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10,608 in Balochistan, 13, 082 in Islamabad, 1,135 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 1,511 in Gilgit Baltistan.
The number of coronavirus cases across the world has surpassed over 10.6 million while the pandemic has so far claimed more than 514,628 lives.
The United States tops both in number of cases and deaths with over 2.7 million cases and more than 130,123 deaths followed by Brazil with over 1.4 million cases and more than 59,656 deaths.
Over 5.8 million patients have so far recovered from the disease across the world.
1,468 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were confirmed in Punjab in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the province to 77,740.
According to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, 17 more people died due to complications related to the virus, taking the death toll in the province to 1,784. Thus far, 28,266 patients have been cured of the disease in the province.
1,468 new cases emerged when 7,996 tests were conducted in the province over the past 24 hours.
A total of 509,505 tests have been conducted in the province thus far.
According to district-wise details of cases, Lahore has so far reported 39,665, Nankana Sahib 291, Kasur 536, Shiekhupura 958, Rawalpindi 5,967, Jhelum 335, Attock 376, Chakwal 206, Gujranwala 2,786, Sialkot 1,946, Narowal 200, Gujrat 2,052, Hafizabad 506, Mandibahuddin 256, Multan 4,669, Khanewal 257, Vehari 373, and Faisalabad 4,669.
Chiniot has reported 260, Toba Tek Sing 522, Jhang 314, Rahim Yar Khan 989, Sargodha 801, Mianwali 358, Khushab 175, Bhakkar 166, Bahawalnagar 365, Bahawalpur 1,193,Lodhran 196, DG Khan 1021, Muzaffargarh 812, Rajanpur 160, Layyah 280, Sahiwal 598, Okara 260, and Pakpattan 146.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that 2,430 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the province to 89,225, media reported. In a statement on the coronavirus situation, CM Murad Ali Shah said that 31 more people succumbed to COVID-19 in past 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 1,437. He maintained that 1,703 people were discharged from the hospitals today after recuperation from the infection across the province.
The chief minister said that 36,072 coronavirus patients are undergoing treatment in Sindh, including, 243 at isolation centres and 1,578 at different hospitals. 754 patients under treatment at hospitals are in critical condition and 101 of them are on ventilators, he added.
Earlier on July 1, Sindh had reported 2,139 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 had said that the total number of infections across the province had soared to 86,795 as the province had conducted a total of 4,61,587 tests.
Shah had 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.
Special Assistant to the Prime on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr. Moeed Yusuf on Thursday strongly rejected the news in section of press regarding the Pakistani passengers alleged for exporting the coronavirus to other countries.
Addressing a press conference at the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), he said that British High Commissioner has confirmed that it was British media not the government stance regarding the COVID-19 positive cases of Pakistanis expats returned.
He said that Pakistan was the only country holding tests, quarantine and screening of outbound passengers. He said that only 30 overseas Pakistani returned were tested positive in UK where they claimed huge number of the affected.
He said that the hue and cry was baseless made against Pakistan for exporting coronavirus as some people were tested positive in many countries due to disease spread. He said that international and national media propagated baseless news regarding this issue.
He said that the people having symptoms should avoid traveling abroad as some countries were not allow passengers with symptoms and would be deported back. He said that 90 percent Overseas Pakistanis repatriated from Gulf countries. He said that stranded Pakistani would be brought back completely by the next week on their will. He said that outbound screening made mandatory was already adopted since last 3 months. He said that countries have imposed condition for the test before flight.
Dr. Moeed Yusuf said that destination country and airline policy should be followed at all costs by outbound passengers. He said that travel was prohibited in case of symptoms. He said that there are some incidents where outbound passengers have presented invalid medical certificates that were highlighted abroad as shame for the country.
He said that the flight operations was only for stranded Pakistanis and only people in emergency would be given priority. “It’s only repatriation tourists and enjoyment passengers should avoid misadventure” he said.
He said that our priority is to facilitate the labourers and everybody should show responsibility. He said that coronavirus was still an issue and people should follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs). He said that coronavirus test is mandatory for travelling abroad and without test passenger should avoid to come airports. Moeed Yusuf said the PIA flights for the gulf region will continue. He said we have brought back Pakistanis from seventy countries.
