ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s coronavirus infections topped 200,000, reaching 202,955, making it the 12th most affected country from the Covid-19 in the world.
A total of 4,072 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country over the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 202,955, said National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday.
These include 74,202 in Punjab, 78,267 in Sindh, 25,380 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 10,261 in Balochistan, 12,395 in Islamabad, 1,423 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 1,027 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The death toll from the virus stands at 4,118 with 83 deaths reported over the last 24 hours. A total of 25,013 coronavirus tests were carried out during this period. So far 92,624 patients have recovered from the disease.
According to NCOC, total active Covid-19 cases in the country are 106,213.
A total of 5,342 patients are admitted across the country. Out of 1,562 ventilators allocated for Covid-19 patients, 502 ventilators are occupied across Pakistan.
According to the latest government projections, coronavirus cases in the country may be limited to 225,000 by the end of June if people continue to take strict precautions — the number was earlier expected to reach 300,000.
Speaking to media on Friday last, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar had said that when the number of Covid-19 cases surged, people started following preventive measures. “There were two weeks when the big hospitals in major cities faced pressure,” he said. He, however, cautioned everyone that if the standard operating procedures are not followed then the situation can deteriorate.
NCOC also revealed that over 92,000 people in Pakistan had so far recovered from the disease caused by the virus.
The NCOC also noted that as many as 7,288 violations of health guidelines/instructions were reported across the country over the past 24 hours.
A total of 1,070 markets/shops were sealed in the previous 24 hours while 1,234 violations of the government-prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) were observed.
The NCOC said that 16 violations of health guidelines were observed in Islamabad where 14 markets/shops were sealed while two transporters were fined. Around 2,172 violations were reported in Punjab where 618 markets/shops were sealed while 816 transporters were fined, it said.
Around 780 violations were observed in Balochistan where 95 markets/shops were sealed and 816 transporters were imposed fines. KP saw 3,252 violations of health guidelines as 178 markets/shops were sealed there and 105 transporters were fined.
According to official data, over 5,000 medical workers have contracted the virus in the country.
A total of 5,164 healthcare providers have been sickened by the virus across Pakistan, as of June 24, revealed the daily tally of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, in Islamabad.
The majority of the infected medics have been reported from Pakistan’s northern KP province, totaling 1,694. The second-highest tally is from Sindh, 1,392, followed by Punjab, 1,099, Islamabad, 419, Balochistan, 391, GB, 95, and AJK, 74. Of the 5,164 professionals, over 3,000 are doctors.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza in an online meeting informed World Health Organisation Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari that Pakistan was fighting Covid-19 through a robust coordinated national response.
Purpose of the meeting was to discuss Pakistan’s Covid-19 response and explore areas where WHO could provide technical guidance and support to the country.
Speaking about political commitment in Pakistan to fighting the disease, Dr Mirza said that this was the highest level of uninterrupted political attention to a health-care issue.
Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the National Coordination Committee (NCC) with all provincial chief ministers as members, he added.
The NCOC was established in March with top leadership discussing each aspect of the response thread-bare every day.
Pakistan was implementing smart lockdowns rather than a generalised lockdown as the prime minister was cognisant of the financial hardship for around 25 per cent of the population living below the poverty line. Currently, 543 lockdowns are in place across Pakistan, shared Dr Mirza.
He added that 35 standard operating procedures (SOPs) had been developed and the public was being educated through a strong risk communication initiative.
Strict action was being taken against those who do not adhere to the SOPs, he shared. “We have ramped out our health system to cater to critical cases and done so with unprecedented speed,” Dr Mirza added.