Corona kills 25 countrywide in 24 hours

ISLAMABAD: The total active Covid-19 cases in Pakistan on Sunday were recorded at 17,804 with 1,436 new cases reported during the last 24 hours.

Twenty-five patients lost their life on Saturday out of which 24 were under treatment in hospitals and one was out of hospital, said the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

No affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan, while 148 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,854 allocated for Covid-19 patients.

Some 32,350 tests were conducted across the country on Saturday, including 9,995 in Sindh, 10,802 in Punjab, 4,008 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 6,290 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 423 in Balochistan, 417 in GB, and 415 in AJK.

Around 318,417 people have recovered from the disease so far across the country making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients. Since the pandemic spread, a total of 343,189 cases have been detected so far, including 4,703 from AJK, 16,055 from Balochistan, GB 4,358, ICT 21,557, KP 40,397, Punjab 106,577 and Sindh 149,542.

About 6,968 deaths were recorded in the country since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,679 from Sindh out of which 12 died in hospital on Saturday, 2,407 in Punjab out of which 7 died in hospital and one out of hospital on Saturday, 1,288 in KP, 238 in ICT out of which two died in hospital on Saturday, 154 in Balochistan out of which one died in hospital on Saturday, 93 in GB and 109 in AJK, out of which two died in hospital on Saturday.

A total of 4,676,263 tests have been conducted so far, while 735 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 1,067 corona patients are under treatment at the hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, the NCOC Sunday issued new guidelines for wedding ceremonies which would be implemented in certain cities from November 20.

The guidelines will be implemented in seven cities of Punjab, two of Sindh, one of Balochistan and one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to details, the NCOC has imposed a ban on indoor weddings in its bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. Only outdoor marriages have been allowed with upper limit of 1,000 persons, according to the NCOC notification.

Canopy, tent use is banned, buffet dinner or lunch is closed, and food would be given in boxes. Table service would be allowed. Every guest must wear a mask. The host will also provide sanitizers according to the new guidelines.

The venue would be chosen in consultation with the local health authority. Marquees will not be allowed to hold wedding ceremonies. One thousand guests will be allowed to attend the outdoor wedding ceremony. There will be a distance of six feet between the participants. The host of the wedding will be responsible for implementing the SOPs. In addition, the duration of the wedding ceremony will be only two hours which will end at 10pm.