File photo
Confirmed cases climb to 270,400 against 219,783 recoveries and 5,763 deaths, leaving 44,854 active cases
Pakistan on Friday recorded 1,209 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 22,006 tests—a positivity ratio of 5.5 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Thursday warned that the next 10 days were very crucial, and any negligence by the people during this time could result in another spike of coronavirus cases in the country. He said that in order to sustain the current decline, everyone needed to continue adopting social distancing guidelines and preventative measures.
Despite the optimism resulting from Pakistan’s positivity rate declining from over 20 percent to less than 10 percent in the past month, health experts have warned that the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed capacity of 71,780—and is testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, the country is likely only recording the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 270,400 (Tests: 1,821,296)
Punjab – 91,423 (Tests: 678,082)
Sindh – 115,883 (Tests: 676,358)
Balochistan – 11,523 (Tests: 56,215)
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 32,898 (Tests: 195,346)
Islamabad – 14,766 (Tests: 173,839)
Gilgit-Baltistan – 1,918 (Tests: 16,944)
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 1,989 (Tests: 23,701)
Deaths – 5,763
Recoveries – 219,783
In the 24 hours preceding 9:30 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 270,400, while deaths increased by 54 to 5,763. At the same time, recoveries increased by 6,608 to 219,783, or 81.3 percent of total infections. There are currently 44,854 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) reporting 1,316 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
Meeting a delegation of Insaf Doctors Forum Pakistan, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar claimed the incumbent government had introduced reforms in the health sector to modernize it, adding health professionals have played an important role in helping the country overcome the coronavirus pandemic. The government appreciates the services rendered by the doctors’ community, he added.
On Friday, authorities reported 5 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising total fatalities to 2,105. The province also reported 294 new infections, raising confirmed cases to 91,423, against 68,439 recoveries. There are now 20,879 active cases of the virus in Punjab province.
Sindh
The Sindh Assembly on Thursday passed a bill allowing the provincial government to promote students of matriculation, intermediate and technical boards without taking examinations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Sindh Board of Technical Education and the Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill, 2020 empowers boards to grant certificates and diplomas to the candidates promoted without examination.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province on Friday morning rose by 670 to 115,883. Additionally, the province’s death toll climbed by 36 to 2,096, while its recoveries rose by 3,776 to 100,002. Overall, the province now has 13,785 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Friday reported 11 new deaths, raising its death toll to 1,169. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 894 to 26,607, while its confirmed cases have increased by 145 to 32,898. There are currently 5,122 active cases of coronavirus in the province.
Balochistan
Addressing a special meeting of the NCOC in Quetta on Thursday, Planning Minister Asad Umar appreciated the steps taken by the provincial government and the civil administration for the protection of public health and the implementation of guidelines devised for it. “All stakeholders should work together to inform the public about the code of conduct and SOPs for Eidul Azha, Muharram and cattle markets’ activities,” he stressed.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province on Friday rose by 6 to 11,523. Overall, 136 people have died and 9,818 patients have fully recovered from the virus, leaving 1,569 active cases of COVID-19.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 44 to 14,766. There were no new deaths and no new recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining death toll at 162 and recoveries at 12,023, leaving 2,581 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan rose by 22 on Friday to 1,918. The region reported 1 new death, raising toll to 46, while its recoveries have increased by 35 to 1,533, leaving 339 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 28 to 1,989. There was 1 new death and 33 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 49 fatalities and 1,361 fully recovered. It has 579 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 15,654,649 people, with over 636,479 reported deaths. Governments across the word halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home at the peak of the virus’s spread, but there are now signs of easements in nations that have reined it in to help shuttered economies recover. Overall, around 9,535,641 patients of the 15.6 million+ infected have recovered thus far.