Staff Report
Islamabad
Pakistan has confirmed 67 deaths in a single day by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 255,769. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 5,386 on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 2,165 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours.
Sindh has become the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.
Till now 107,773 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 88,045 in Punjab, 31,001 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,239 in Balochistan, 14,315 in Islamabad, 1,708 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,688 in Azad Kashmir. Furthermore 2,043 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 1,863 in Sindh, 1,114 in KP, 127 in Balochistan, 155 in Islamabad, 38 in GB and 46 in Azad Kashmir.
Patients are under treatment at quarantine centers of 462 hospitals where 7,295 beds are available.
Pakistan has so far conducted 1,627,939 coronavirus tests and 21,749 in last 24 hours. 172,810 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 2,078 patients are in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Famed surgeon and vice chancellor of Multan’s Nishtar Medical University (NMU), Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha and also renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Younis Hayder Soomro passed away due to the coronavirus in Lahore and Karachi respectively on Wednesday.
Dr Pasha was diagnosed with Covid-19 on June 14 and was under treatment at Ch Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Nishtar Medical University’s principal Dr Iftikhar said. He was shifted to a ventilator on July 6, he added. Prime Minister Imran Khan also extended his condolences to the families of Dr Pasha and former school-fellow Nadeem Mumtaz — who also passed away after being diagnosed with the novel coroanvirus.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who also suffered from the novel coronavirus himself, expressed his grief over Dr Pasha’s death, saying he was “heart-stricken”.
Meanwhile, renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr Younis Hayder Soomro also passed away due to the coronavirus in Karachi on Wednesday, according to Pakistan Medical Association Secretary General Qaiser Sajjad. Speaking to media, Sajjad said that Soomro had been diagnosed with the respiratory illness about a month ago. He was under treatment at the Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton where he practiced and had been on a ventilator for the past 15 days after complications arose due to his age, he said.
