Coronavirus ferocity ebbing

ISLAMABAD: Corona cases in Pakistan are plummeting, with the country reporting 1,209 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally of cases to 271,517.

According to the latest figures released by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 54 deaths were reported in last 24 hours. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 5,778.

Pakistan has so far conducted 1,821,296 tests and 22,006 in last 24 hours. Around 219,783 patients have recovered whereas 1,316 patients are still in critical condition. Sindh remains the worst hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad.

A total of 116,800 cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 91,423 in Punjab, 33,071 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,550 in Balochistan, 14,766 in Islamabad 1,918 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 1,989 in Azad Kashmir.

The country has recorded 6,608 additional recoveries, taking the national tally to 223,615, the government's Covid-19 portal said. Balochistan has reported six coronavirus cases during the past 24 hours, according to the provincial health department's daily situation report.

The provincial total has risen to 11,523 while the death toll remains 136. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 145 new cases were confirmed taking the total to 32,898. 11 more lives were lost (6 Peshawar, 4 Abbottabad, 1 Karak) taking the total to 1,169. 894 more patients recovered taking the tally to 26,607. Active cases are 5,122.

In Sindh, 670 new cases have been confirmed, taking the provincial tally to 115,883, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. The virus claimed another 36 lives, with its overall death toll so far rising to 2,096.

The new infections were detected after 9,804 samples were tested during the last 24 hours — a positivity rate of seven per cent. Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said the government was fully aware of the plight of marriage hall owners due to the coronavirus pandemic, and a final decision on reopening the halls will be taken soon.

In a meeting with the marriage hall owners, Shah said all business classes will be allowed to operate soon under SOPs with an easing of the pandemic, but that any "hasty" decisions or "rhetoric" needs to be avoided. The minister said the provincial government is aware of the problems faced by the working classes but "no compromise could be made on the lives of the people".

The pandemic has taken away five more lives in the Punjab province, while the number of coronavirus cases in the province reached 91,423 after registration of 294 new cases until Friday morning.

According to the spokesperson of the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, total number of deaths has reached 2105 in the province. As many as 100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Lahore, 6 in Sheikhupura, 12 in Rawalpindi,16 in Jehlum,1 in Attock, 1 in Chakwal, 17 in Gujranwala,7 in Sialkot, 2 in Narowal,31 in Gujrat, 6 in Mandi Bahauddin,15 in Multan,1 in Khanewal, 15 in Faisalabad,1 in Chiniot,1 in Jhang,10 in Toba Tek Singh,12 in Rahimyar Khan,5 in Sargodha, 2 in Khushab, 2 in Bhakkar, 3 in Bahawalnagar, 4 in Bahawalpur, 13 in Dera Ghazi Khan,5 in Muzaffargarh, 2 in Layyah,5 in Sahiwal and 1 new case of COVID-19 was reported in Okara district during the last 24 hours.

The Punjab health department conducted 678,010 tests for COVID-19 so far, while 68,439 confirmed cases were recovered all together in the province. The department also appealed the masses to follow SOPs for their protection and cover their faces with masks.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre Friday decided to crack down on the illegal cattle markets. The decision was made as no illegal cattle market would be allowed to be established or operated whereas the district administrations were mobilized to enforce the Code of Conduct approved for cattle markets.

Moreover, violations of health guidelines were being reported in cattle markets across the country, it added. The NCOC noted that public health and safety was the top priority where the epidemic could only be controlled by adopting hygiene principles and precautionary measures against coronavirus.