-Country-wide tally climbs over 2,684 as 126 recovered
-Provinces enforce strict measures over gatherings, Juma prayers
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Authorities on Friday have reported 35 deaths from novel coronavirus while the total number of cases has surged to 2458.
According to details, 1,069 patients have been tested positive for the epidemic in Punjab, 830 in Sindh, 343 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 190 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 175 in Balochistan, 68 in Islamabad and nine in Azad Kashmir.
So far, 126 patients have recovered in the country while 10 are in critical condition. Punjab reports 57 new cases, including three among inmates at Camp Jail. Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has confirmed another 57 cases of Covid-19, taking the provincial total to 1,069. Three of the new cases have been reported from Lahore’s Camp Jail.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Directorate General Health Services has confirmed 32 new cases of coronavirus in the province, taking the provincial tally to 343. It has also confirmed two new deaths — one each in Swat and Mansehra.
Sindh has recorded two more deaths from the novel coronavirus, Meeran Yousuf, the media coordinator to the Sindh health minister said.
Both patients were residents of Karachi and had tested positive on April 1. One patient, who was 60 years of age, had heart problems and was placed on a ventilator. The other patient, who was 82, had renal issues. The provincial death toll has gone up to 13.
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Friday reviewed the lockdown situation in Lahore while taking an aerial view.
CM Punjab took an aerial view of the provincial capital to review the measures taken for lockdown in the city. He expresses satisfaction over
the implementation of safety measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
CM Punjab paid tribute to Pakistan Army, Rangers and Punjab Police for ensuring the lockdown across the province.
He also thanked people of Punjab including Lahore for cooperating with the provincial government in the
fight against novel coronavirus.
CM Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar on Sunday visited different areas of the provincial metropolis to inspect the lockdown of markets, shopping malls and restaurants earlier ordered for the prevention of coronavirus.
CM Punjab on Thursday inspected the quarantine centres set up in Sohdra area of Wazirabad tehsil in Gujranwala and Cadet College Jhelum near Dina.
He inspected both the facilities and announced to set up field hospitals for coronavirus patients at divisional level in Punjab.
He also lauded services of the doctors, nurses and paramedics staff, who treating coronavirus patients in the province.
Buzdar said the services of the medical staff will be remembered in the history as they are risking their lives to cure patients.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Mahmood Khan has said that the government will provide relief package to more than two million families across the province.
Talking to media in Bannu on Friday, Mahmood Khan said that registration of poor families under Ehsas program and BISP has begun and relief cheques will be distributed among deserving people within two days.
The Chief Minister also visited quarantine center and isolation ward in Bannu.
Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has provided Coronavirus protective kits and equipment to all the rescue stations of the province.
According to Director General Rescue 1122 Dr. Khateer Ahmad, it includes one hundred and fifty safety kits and other equipment to protect the rescue workers.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Friday that 920 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the province.
In her tweets, Dr Yasmin Rashid said overall 17,069 patients were tested for the COVID-19, from which 920 were tested positive and 16,149 were negative.
Giving breakup of the tests, the minister in another tweet said, 4,039 tests were conducted in health department’s laboratories, 500 in Multan, 2,238 in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancel Hospital (SKMCH), 2,980 in NIH Lab Islamabad and 7,312 were tested in private sector laboratories.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 2,450 after new infections were confirmed in the country.
The national dashboard, maintained by the federal ministry of health, the death toll increases up to 35 and 10 patients are in critical condition.
The latest statistics of the national dashboard stated 126 patients have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic thus far.
A total of 1,073 coronavirus patients can be treated at the quarantine centre in Attock, confirmed PM’s Special Assistant for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfi Bukhari.
In a tweet on Friday, he said that he visited the centre and reviewed the facilities and operation there.
“I’ll be working along with the local government to build capacity and improve these facilities at the centre,” Bukhari assured. He also lauded the efforts of the district commissioner and other teams for “efficient use of available resources”.
Quarantine centres and hospitals are being built in multiple parts of the country after the number of COVID-19 cases increased here. Pakistan has reported more than 2,400 cases so far.
Police on Friday claimed to have arrested over 100 people for violating lockdown in Karachi.
As per details, as many as 100 people were arrested for violating lockdown from different cities of the province since morning.
Police arrested over 50 people in Larkana and seized several motorcycles.
Meanwhile, the deployment of police and Rangers has been increased in Karachi amid complete lockdown orders of Sindh government in the province from 12 pm till 3:30 pm today (Friday.
The Sindh government has notified complete lockdown in the province from 12 in the noon till 3:30 pm amid coronavirus outbreak in the province.
Strict action will be taken against the violators, the notification issued by the Sindh home department reads.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabhi Memon has advised people of the city to stay at their homes and avoid violating the lockdown, else strict action will be taken in accordance with the law.
n a statement issued on Thursday night, Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah had announced the enforcement of a province-wide complete lockdown from 12 noon to 3:30 pm on Friday (today).
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan presided over a high level meeting at Chief Minister Secretariat in Quetta on Thursday.
Matters pertaining to provision of food security, ration and relief package announced for the deserving people were reviewed during the meeting.
The meeting decided to compile lists of deserving people on district level for distribution of financial assistance and ration among them.
The meeting also decided to immediately release funds to the District Management for provision of relief package announced for the poor people of all the districts of the province.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister instructed the officials of all districts to ensure availability of edible items to the consumers and maintaining a balance in the prices of food items.
