Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan on Monday reported 15 more deaths from Coronavirus taking the tally to 292 while the total number of confirmed cases has surged to 13,947.
According to details, 5,526 patients have been tested positive for the epidemic in Punjab, 4,956 in Sindh, 1,984 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 853 in Balochistan, 318 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 245 in Islamabad and 65 in Azad Kashmir.
So far, 3,029 patients have recovered in the country.
The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients stands at 13,878 with 5,526 cases in Punjab, 4,956 in Sindh, 1,948 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 853 in Balochistan, 318 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 245 in Islamabad and 68 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The virus has claimed at least 292 lives while at least 3,029 coronavirus patients have recovered.
More than 50 police personnel have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Karachi, officials said on Monday. Six inspectors are among the 51 personnel of the Sindh Police whose tests have returned positive. Of these, one inspector has recovered from the disease and has been discharged from the hospital, while the rest are admitted to isolation wards of different hospitals in the metropolis, said a police official.
On Monday, two police personnel, including a sub-inspector and a head constable, were confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus while per forming their duty at a cash distribution facility of Ehsaas Programme at the Government Degree College, Quaidabad in Karachi.
Meanwhile, at least 300 Pakistanis stranded in Germany arrived in Islamabad on Monday. The passengers were screened at Islamabad International Airport and shifted to quarantine centres.
A medical officer at Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, Dr Shafqat has tested positive for the virus, the hospital said on Monday. “Dr Shafqat was at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus,” the hospital said. The senior doctor is under treatment at the RIC.
According to data by the primary and secondary health department, 80 new cases were recorded in the Punjab province, to take the provincial tally to 5,526.
Three more flight attendants of PIA have tested positive for the virus, a spokesperson of the national carrier confirmed on Monday. “All three returned on a flight from London to Islamabad,” the spokesperson said, adding the three have been quarantined at a hotel after their tests came back positive. Ten PIA employees have tested positive for the virus till now.
The Punjab has reported three more deaths, raising the death toll to 84.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the provincial government will increase daily testing from 5,000 to 10,000. In a letter to members of the NA, Buzdar said quarantine centres, hospitals, isolation wards and high dependency units have been established across the province.
The Punjab government will start random testing from today in the province to assess the spread of coronavirus and estimate the number of Covid-19 patients.
“We are going to start “Smart Sampling” in Punjab from tomorrow [Tuesday]. A committee consisting of eminent experts has been formed to examine the results and give feedback on future decisions and strategies,” Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said on Monday in a tweet from his official handle.
He went on to say that initially the government’s focus is on to test people in quarantine centres. “Now, with the increase in testing capacity and the burden on system is relatively low, we will be able to better evaluate the presence of coronavirus in the local community via smart sampling,” the CM said in a follow-up tweet.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah briefing the provincial Cabinet said 341 new cases have emerged over the last 24 hours and four more people succumbed to the virus, raising the provincial death toll to 85.
He added that 3,946 patients are undergoing treatment out of which 24 are in critical condition and 16 patients have been placed on ventilators. “2,705 patients are being treated at home and 825 in isolation centres.”
Balochistan has reported 72 new coronavirus cases with one more fatality, according to a statement issued by the health department. The total number of Covid-19 cases in the province has reached 853 while the death toll has swelled to 14, it added.
