Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Pakistan on Tuesday saw biggest jump in Coronavirus deaths as Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab reported 29 fatalities and an increase of 633 confirmed cases.
The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients reached 14,788 with 5,730 cases in Punjab, 5,291 in Sindh, 2,160 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 915 in Balochistan, 330 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 297 in Islamabad and 65 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The virus has claimed at least 322 lives while at least 3,233 coronavirus patients have recovered.
Meanwhile, he Sindh Home Department has issued an order saying along with congregational Taraweeh prayers, all religious gatherings such as majalis and processions for Youm-i-Ali and Mehfil-e-Shabeenas will not be allowed to be held in Ramazan in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
According to a notification released by the Home Department, Government of Sindh, all religious gatherings “being not farz shall not be held”.
Sindh has reported 335 new cases, and seven deaths due to Coronavirus.
The Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department reported four more Covid-19 deaths in the province, taking the provincial tally to 95. According to the latest reports, 90 new cases have been reported in the province with the province tally reaching 5,730.
Out of the total, 786 patients are said to be among the zaireens, 1,925 Tableegh Jamaat members, 86 prisoners and 2,951 common citizens
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 176 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, taking the provincial tally to 2,160, according to the KP health department.
The province also recorded 10 new deaths in the last 24 hours — seven in Peshawar, two Mardan and one in Abbottabad. KP’s death toll now stands at 114.
A report issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department shows that 92 medical staff in the province have tested positive for the virus.
According to the report, 42 doctors, 13 nurses and 37 medical staff have been tested positive for the virus. It added that 20 health officials have recovered from the virus.
Sixty-two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Balochistan, taking the provincial total to 915, according to the Balochistan health directorate.
The province has recorded 14 deaths from the virus so far.
President of provincial doctors association Amir Taj said that positive cases are rising in the province, adding that the government is not issuing protective equipment to them. Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, who contested independently, has gone into selfisolation after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The senator said that during his visit to his village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he had interacted with people while distributing ration. He said that he was feeling better and urged his contacts to get tested as well. State health minister Zafar Mirza says the government is working on a national plan for the safety and protection of frontline healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, which will be announced in a few days. Speaking at a press conference, he said it was decided after talking with provincial health ministers and the Pakistan Medical Association that “we need to work together for the safety and protection of our health workers”. The Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan has reduced its employees’ salaries after delay in fee collection because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to the employees, the university’s vicechancellor Prof Dr Zahoorul Haq wrote that the university was facing financial difficulties after classes were suspended due to Covid19. “Our financial sustainability depends solely on the timely collection of semester fee and conduction of BA/BSc and MA/ MSc examinations,” the letter stated. The letter further states that employees from grade two to 11 will receive full salaries, employees from grade 12 to 16 will receive 75 per cent while employees from grade 17 and above including faculty will receive 50pc of their salaries for the month of May. President of Young Doctors Association Dr Masood Haraj has said that there is a shortage of medical staff in Multan’s Nishtar Hospital, adding that there has been a spike in cases in the city due to the easing of the lockdown.
