Corona kills 56, including ex-judge Arshad Malik

ISLAMABAD: The total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Friday were recorded at 51,507, as 3,262 more people tested positive during the last 24 hours.

Fifty-five corona patients, of whom 49 were under treatment in hospital and six out of hospital, died on Thursday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

No affected person was on ventilator in Balochistan, while 331 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,751 allocated for Covid-19 patients. Some 44,627 tests were conducted across the country on Thursday, including 13,339 in Sindh, 18,262 in Punjab, 5,455 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,805 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 540 in Balochistan, 403 in GB, and 823 in AJK.

Around 350,305 people have recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 86 percent recovery ratio. Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of cases have been detected so far, including AJK 7,151, Balochistan 17,333, GB 4,692, ICT 31,639, KP 48,264, Punjab 121,753 and Sindh 179,240.

About 8,260 deaths have been recorded countrywide since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,983 in Sindh, 3,115 in Punjab, 1,389 in KP, 332 in ICT, 169 in Balochistan, 98 in GB and 174 in AJK.

A total of 5,672,166 tests have been conducted so far, while 617 hospitals are equipped with the COVID facilities.

Meanwhile, former accountability court judge Arshad Malik, who convicted ex-prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference, died of coronavirus on Friday. The news of Arshad Malik’s death was confirmed by his brother-in-law Waheed Javed.

According to Waheed, Arshad Malik’s condition had been critical for the past two days and he was placed on the ventilator at an Islamabad-based hospital. Arshad Malik is survived by two sons and two daughters. The deceased’s funeral prayers will be offered in Mandra.