Nationwide tally of COVID-19 pandemic hits 195
Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health on Tuesday reported that the national tally of total coronavirus patients in the country had hit 195 after both Sindh and Punjab provinces reported new cases.
Punjab province reported that it now had eight confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with all the newly reported patients occurring in the 750-odd pilgrims who had recently been freed from quarantine in Taftan after returning from Iran two weeks back. The pilgrims are currently being retested, announced Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid.
“Around 1,200 more pilgrims are set to re-enter Punjab in the coming days,” she said, adding that there was a great chance the number of cases would jump once their testing was done. She reiterated the government’s urging to practice social distancing, and exhorted the masses not to consider the current situation a “holiday.”
“Please do not leave your homes,” she said, adding that prevention was absolutely necessary to halt the spread of the deadly disease.
Meanwhile, the Sindh government announced another five cases, raising the province’s overall tally to 155. Adviser to the C.M. on Information Senator Murtaza Wahab posted on Twitter that 36 people in Sindh had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, with two having fully recovered. Of the pilgrims, he added, 234 had been tested and 119 found to be positive for COVID-19.
Overall Tally
Sindh – 155
Punjab – 8
Balochistan – 10
Gilgit-Baltistan – 5
Islamabad – 2
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 15
Globally, 158 countries have now been affected, with more than 6,500 people dead and over 170,000 infected. Several European nations, including Spain and Italy, have gone into lockdown and both the U.K. and U.S. have announced series of steps designed to prevent the pandemic from overburdening healthcare facilities.