Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan on Monday reported 17 more fatalities from novel coronavirus as the death toll in the country reached 476 while, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 21,044 with 1,083 new cases were reported in 24 hours.
At least 5,635 coronavirus patients have recovered.
The province-wise cases included 7,646 in Punjab, 7,882 in Sindh, 3,288 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,321 in Balochistan, 372 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 464 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 71 in Azad Kashmir.
Nine more doctors at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital and five in Bannu have tested positive for the virus, President Professional Doctors Association said. “All the doctors were on regular duty,” Dr Fazal Mannan said.
The gynecology department at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar has been temporarily closed for two weeks after several staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to a notification, 29 samples of a total of 68 have come back positive. “During this period, the building will be thoroughly fumigated while staff will be screened,” it added.
Other units of the hospital are being disinfected. “So far 58 doctors have been infected with the virus in the province while one doctor has died,” he added.
According to a KP health department, 159 new cases were detected in the province, taking the provincial tally to 3,288. The department added till now 856 patients have recovered from the virus in the province. The spokesperson added till now 2,680 patients have recovered from the virus in the province while 25 were in a critical condition.
A district and sessions court’s judge has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Peshawar High Court’s Protocol Officer said in a statement. The judge, the first officer of district judiciary to have contracted the virus, is in self-isolation.
“As per reports received till date no other Judicial Officer or staff of District Judiciary Tank has been found positive for Covid-19,” the statement said.
Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department has confirmed 152 new coronavirus cases in the province, taking the provincial total to 7,646. It has also confirmed five new deaths, taking the provincial toll to 126 and 2,680 people in Punjab have recovered from Covid-19, while 25 patients are in critical condition.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center, Punjab remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The Rawalpindi district administration on Monday said that 104 passengers who flew in from Abu Dhabi have tested positive for the virus.“Out of 209 passengers, 104 tested positive for the virus,” the district administration said. The administration added that the flight carrying the passengers arrived in Islamabad on April 28.
Provincial authorities in Sindh reported 417 new novel coronavirus cases saying seven more people succumbed to the virus over the last 24 hours. PTI’s Senator Faisal Javed told a news channel that the Sindh government was not allowing the Tiger Force to operate in the province.
