LAHORE/KARACHI/PESHAWAR: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatalities in Pakistan rose to 60,074 and 1,240 respectively on Wednesday.
Of 60,074 confirmed cases, Sindh reported 24,206 cases, Punjab 21,118, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 8,483, Balochistan 3,536, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 1,879, Gilgit-Baltistan 638 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 214.
Of 1,240 deaths, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 425 deaths, Sindh 380, Punjab 362, Balochistan 42, Gilgit-Baltistan 9, Islamabad Capital Territory 18, and AJK 4.
In Punjab, as many as 10 more patients lost their lives on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 362. Besides, 464 new cases of the novel coronavirus were reported, which brought the total of number of confirmed Covid-19 patients to 21,118.
Out of total Covid-19 patients in Punjab so far, 1,926 are preachers of Tableeghi Jamaat, 768 pilgrims who returned from Iran, 86 prisoners in nine districts and 18,248 citizens who mostly have fallen prey to local transmission. As per spokesperson of the Corona Monitoring Room at the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, the highest number of cases has been reported from 16-30 years age group followed by 31-45 years age group. He said the lowest number of cases have been reported from above 70 years age group. He said 6,185 patients have recovered and returned home, 362 died while 14,571 were under treatment at different quarantine centers and health facilities. Out of 1,886 suspected healthcare workers, he said, 241 have been tested positive for the virus. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah Wednesday confirmed that 699 new cases had been reported in the province during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 24,206.
"A total 2,170 tests were conducted in the province during last 24 hours," the chief minister said in a statement, adding that about 14,556 patients were currently under treatment, out of which 12,836 patients are self-isolating at their homes.
Speaking about the patients under treatment in the province, Shah said that 235 patients were in critical condition out of which 42 patients are on ventilator.
The chief minister added that with six new deaths during the last 24 hours, the death-tally across the province has risen to 380.
A day earlier, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab refuted reports of the provincial government imposing a curfew in the province.
"The Sindh government has not taken any decision to impose a curfew across the province," Wahab said while rubbishing rumours on social media about a curfew in a bid to contain the coronavirus from spreading faster in the province.
"News on social media about [imposition of] curfew are wrong," he said. "People should not lend an ear to misleading news."
Wahab advised people to play their part in stemming the spread of the coronavirus and appealed to masses to support the government in its efforts to save citizens' lives.
He also urged the public not to venture out of their homes unnecessarily so that they remained safe within the confines of their residences.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, coronavirus claimed nine more lives on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 425 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the highest fatalities in any province of the country.
As many as 224 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19, bringing the number of positive cases to 8,483.
In the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), administrative in charge of isolation ward, Dr Saud Islam, was diagnosed with coronavirus. Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz also tested positive for the virus.
The provincial capital continued to suffer from coronavirus as seven of nine people died of the infectious disease belonged to Peshawar; two others died in Swat and Kohat.
Peshawar has lost more people than any other city in Pakistan. Of 244 positive cases, 79 were reported from Peshawar alone.
Abbottabad recorded 26 positive cases. Other districts including Bajaur reported 14 positive cases, Lower Dir 10, Mardan 7, Haripur and Karak 6 each, Nowshera 5, and four each cases were reported from Swabi and Kohat.
As of May 27, the case fatality rate (CFR) in Pakistan was 2.07 compared to Tuesday’s 2.07 of confirmed cases, 59,151 including 1,446 new confirmed cases, and 1,225 deaths, including 28 new fatalities.
The CFR in KP was 5.01 compared to Tuesday’s 5.03, the highest in the country, of confirmed cases, 8,483, including 224 new cases, and 425 deaths, nine of them reported Wednesday, which is still the highest in the country.
The rate in Peshawar was 7.74 as compared to yesterday's 7.74, the most in any city of Pakistan, with confirmed cases, 3150, including 79 new confirmed cases, and 244 deaths, seven of which were reported on Wednesday, which is still the highest in the province.
The CFR remained the same in Pakistan as compared to yesterday and it has slightly decreased in KP but remained the same in Peshawar compared to Tuesday.
Of 28 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, nine were from KP, which means KP has contributed 32 percent of the total new deaths in the country in the last 24 hours.
Peshawar alone has contributed seven new fatalities among the overall new deaths, which occurred in the country in the last 24 hours.
It means Peshawar has contributed 25 percent of the total new deaths during the last 24 hours.
The situation thus continues to be very dismal and bleak in KP in general and Peshawar, in particular.