Fatalities due to COVID-19 rise to 706, while there have been 8,555 recoveries reported, leaving 22,820 active cases
The confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Pakistan climbed to 32,081 on Tuesday, as 1,140 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, and 38 more people died due to the deadly disease.
Over the past 24 hours, Pakistan has recorded 38 new deaths and 343 recoveries, raising the total fatalities to 706 and overall recoveries to 8,555, respectively. The country currently has 22,820 active cases of the novel coronavirus, 758 more than a day earlier.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a special session of Parliament convened to discuss the coronavirus crisis, said that “no one could predict when the country would hit it’s peak” of infections, adding that in the absence of a cure, an indefinite lockdown was not feasible. He also claimed the country now had a capacity of 20,000 tests/day to detect COVID-19, but this rings hollow, as we have yet to even hit 15,000 tests in a single day thus far.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 32,081 (Tests: 305,851)
Punjab – 11,869 (Tests: 135,458)
Sindh – 12,017 (Tests: 95,053)
Balochistan – 2,061 (Tests: 14,544)
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 4,875 (Tests: 29,522)
Islamabad – 716 (Tests: 19,795)
Gilgit-Baltistan – 457 (Tests: 7,603)
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 86 (Tests: 2,919)
Deaths – 706
Recoveries – 8,555
Meanwhile, the government’s easing of lockdowns to boost the economy resulted in large crowds of people swarming markets across the country, with little signs of any adherence to social distancing guidelines or other preventative measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Healthcare professionals continue to warn of an impending crisis of infections, noting that the rapid pace of spread even under movement restrictions means the virus could swiftly surpass the government’s capacity to cope with new cases once the lockdowns have been eased.
Punjab
The country’s most populous province on Tuesday hit 11,869 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus. It’s death toll, in the same time, climbed to 211, raising its fatality rate to 1.78 percent. Thus far, the province has also reported 4,452 recoveries, leaving 7,206 active cases, 158 more than a day earlier.
Lahore has been described as the epicenter of the coronavirus in Punjab, and in a bid to free up some space in quarantine centers, the provincial government on Sunday announced it was allowing home isolation of patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said home isolation would not be permitted in any situation where there was risk of the virus spreading to the patient’s family or neighborhood.
Sindh
On Tuesday morning, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sindh rose to 12,017. Additionally, the province raised its casualties to 200, while its recoveries rose to 2,149. Overall, the province now has 9,668 active cases of the novel coronavirus, 458 more than a day earlier.
According to the Sindh Health and Population Welfare Department, the bulk of the cases continue to be reported from provincial capital Karachi. As of Tuesday morning, Karachi accounts for 7,936 active cases of the coronavirus and 173 deaths. In contrast, the rest of Sindh combined accounts for 1,732 active cases and 27 deaths.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The province continues to report the highest fatality rate in Pakistan, reaching 257 deaths on Tuesday morning. Overall, the province has now recorded 4,875 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with 1,156 recoveries.
It currently has 3,362 active cases.
Balochistan
The province has thus far reported 2,061 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, with 27 deaths and 242 recoveries. It currently has 1,792 active cases of COVID-19.
The province has allowed all markets and shops to resume operations for 4 days a week, raising fears in healthcare professionals that it could soon see a spike in cases as the virus spread. However, provincial spokesman Liaquat Shahwani maintains that all SOPs and guidelines are being followed.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed COVID-19 infections to 716, with 6 deaths and 72 recoveries. Presently, the Islamabad Capital Territory has 638 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, cases of the novel coronavirus rose to 457, with no new deaths and 6 new recoveries. Overall, it now has 4 deaths and 320 recoveries, leaving 133 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the total number of confirmed cases has seen no change, staying constant at 86. The region reported its first death from COVID-19 on Monday night, while no new recoveries were recorded. It currently has 1 death and 64 recoveries, leaving 21 active cases of the virus.
Global Scenario
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 4,256,050 people, with over 287,335 reported deaths. Governments across the world have halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home, but there are signs of easements to help shuttered economies recover. Overall, around 1,527,560 patients of the 4.2 million+ infected have recovered thus far.