Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan confirmed 30 more deaths from novel coronavirus in one day as the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 1,240 and positive cases surged to 60,074, on Wednesday.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center, 1,446 persons have been tested positive for Covid-19 in 24 hours. Till now 21,118 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Punjab, 24,206 in Sindh, 8,483 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3,536 in Balochistan, 1,879 in Islamabad, 638in Gilgit-Baltistan and 214in Azad Kashmir.
The virus has claimed at least 1,240 lives while about 19,142 coronavirus patients have recovered.
A Punjab government official announced that coronavirus patients in Lahore’s government-run hospitals have started to decrease. “Patients are preferring home isolation. Only those patients are coming to the hospital whose condition is deteriorating,” said Dr Asad Aslam, corona in charge of Mayo hospital and the field hospital set up at Expo centre.
The doctor shared that there has also been a slight increase in patients who have been put on a ventilator. He added that the number of beds and ventilators will increase in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a Covid-19 response meeting on Wednesday, directed the health department to make 500 monitors and 200 ventilators available in Sindh apart from completing 50-bed hospital in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and a 200-bed Infection Disease Control hospital in NIPA by June 2020.
“We have arranged Rs2.7 billion to upgrade the existing facilities and operationalise two new hospitals in the city and hopefully with their start, the government would be able to accommodate a large number of patients, in case of further spread of the pandemic.”
President of the Young Doctors Association of Balochistan, Dr Yasir Achakzai contracted the coronavirus while serving on the front line. It is pertinent to note that, Dr Achakzai was on emergency duty at the Trauma and Emergency Center and
Neurosurgery Unit of Sandeman Provincial Hospital Quetta 5 days ago.
“In the recent emergency situation caused by the coronavirus, Dr Achakzai, has been leading the medical community in Balochistan from day one with his tireless efforts in the fight against Corona,” YDA spokesperson Dr Rahim Khan said in a statement.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, in its daily situational report, has confirmed nine more casualties due to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours to bring the provincial death toll to 425. Seven deaths were reported from Peshawar, and one each from Swat and Kohat. According to the national dashboard, 434 new cases were recorded in Punjab while 151 new cases were reported in the federal capital.
