Pakistan’s coronavirus patients soar to 3,529 as death toll at 52
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The number of coronavirus patients has increased to 3,529 after 373 new cases were reported across the country on Monday.
According to the data available with the National Command and Operation Centre, five more deaths have been reported and thus the toll soared to 52 during the last 24 hours.
Punjab is leading the tally with 1,690 cases, while patients have increased to 932 in Sindh, 408 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 192 in Balochistan and 82 in Islamabad. There are 210 reported cases in Gilgit-Baltistan and 15 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
As many as 257 patients have recovered after treatment in hospitals across the country. So far tests have been conducted on 35,875 patients after 1,933 tests were carried out on suspected patients during the last 24 hours.
As per details, 61 percent of the cases had travel history while 39 percent cases were transmitted locally. As many as 7,295 beds have been allocated for coronavirus patients in 462 hospitals throughout the country.
Presently 1,285 patients are being treated in different hospitals, while the condition of 17 patients is critical. In total, 17,879 suspected cases have been placed in 323 quarantine centres.
On the other hand, partial lockdown imposed is continuing across the country as educational institutions, shopping malls, markets, restaurants, and other private business remained closed while inter-provincial and inter-city transport was also suspended. Factories, banks and the financial sector were directed to reduce work hours.
The government has barred elder people and children from offering Friday prayers at mosques and issued guidelines for making lines with a specific distance.
The novel coronavirus – which originated in the central China city of Wuhan towards the end of December 2019 – has spread to all continents excluding Antarctica. The COVID-19 respiratory illness caused by the mysterious contagion has so far killed thousands of people and infected tens of thousands of others across the globe.
Though the deadly infestation has been contained by the Chinese government in Wuhan, the virus has now spread elsewhere, especially in Europe and the United States, with the World Health Organisation declaring Europe as the new epicentre of the viral disease.
Pakistan, despite its close proximity with China, remained unscathed until February 26 when a young man from Karachi tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He had returned from Iran – one of the worst-hit countries.
