Corona resurges with 15 deaths, 625 cases

ISLAMABAD: The deadly COVID-19 has started raising its head again as the total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Friday were recorded at 8,877 as 625 more people tested positive for the deadly virus during the last 24 hours.

As many as 15 corona patients, who were under treatment in hospitals, died on Friday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

No COVID patient was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, while 95 ventilators elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,912 allocated for COVID-19 patients, were occupied.

Some 31,697 tests were conducted across the country on Friday, including 11,689 in Sindh, 11,722 in Punjab, 3,765 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 2,228 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,093 in Balochistan, 601 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and 599 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Around 298,055 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan, making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 313,431 cases were detected so far, including AJK 2,754, Balochistan 15,302, GB 3,808, ICT 16,650, KP 37,845, Punjab 99,605 and Sindh 137,467. About 6,499 deaths were recorded in the country since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,512 in Sindh among 13 of them in hospital on Thursday, 2,237 in Punjab, two of them died in hospital on Thursday, 1,260 in KP, 182 in ICT, 146 in Balochistan, 88 in GB and 74 in AJK.

A total of 3,580,173 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 735 hospitals were equipped with Covid-19 facilities. Some 720 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, authorities in Karachi closed seven marriage halls and 118 restaurants in the metropolis for not complying with health guidelines and COVID-19 prevalence, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday.

The country's nerve centre in the fight against coronavirus said that it has also instructed all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad to ensure health guidelines and abidance of protocols.

The NCOC also cautioned the authorities that restaurants and marriage hallswere "emerging as the epicentre of the disease". Federal minister Asad Umar also warned that indoor restaurants and marriage halls were emerging as "high contributors to the COVID-19 spread".

"NCOC today has directed all provinces and federating units to crack down on SOPs violations in these places," said the minister. He emphasised that the country must not allow "irresponsible behaviour" of some individuals to put everyone's health at risk.

Meanwhile, due to the rising number of cases in the port city, Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Sodhar directed authorities to impose a micro smart lockdown in several areas of Karachi’s South district.

PMA expressed concern over the possibility of a similar situation in Pakistan as the country battles a rising number of cases. They chalked up the rise in infections to a lack in the strict observance of coronavirus safety measures.

Talking about Sindh in particular, where as many as half of the country's cases were recently registered, it said that people had stopped exercising caution. "It is important that special care is taken in primary and pre-primary schools," said PMA.

It reminded the country that the virus has not yet been eliminated and safety precautions must be taken at all times. The announcement comes days after the government started the phase-wise reopening of schools, which concluded with the resumption of primary schools from September 30.