Covid-19 claims 82 lives, 2,184 new cases reported

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The national tally of total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday reached 35,130 with 2,184 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 1,745 people recovered from the coronavirus during the 24 hours.

As many as 82 corona patients, 74 of whom were under treatment in hospital and eight in their respective homes or quarantines centers died on Friday, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

Majority of death cases reported in last 24 hours were from Punjab followed by Sindh and 44 of them were on ventilators. No COVID-19 affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), while 301 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in Pakistan.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 41 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 42 percent, Peshawar 35 percent and Lahore 32 percent.

The Oxygen beds (oxygen providing facility other than ventilator as per patient's medical requirement) were also occupied in four major areas as in ICT 33 percent, Karachi 32 percent, Peshawar 59 percent and Multan 36 percent.

Some 38,229 tests were conducted across the country on Friday, including 11,771 in Sindh, 15,582 in Punjab, 5,985 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 3,891 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 340 in Balochistan, 355 in GB, and 305 in AJK.

Since the pandemic spread, a total of 484,362 cases were detected including perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK from 8,303, Balochistan 18,181, GB 4,862, ICT 38,020, KP 59,023, Punjab 139,341 and Sindh 216,632. About 10,258 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion.

Around 3,582 perished in Sindh among 22 of them died on Friday, 19 of them died in hospital. 4,085 in Punjab had died with 43 deaths in past 24 hours, 38 of them died in hospital on Friday.

1,661 in KP, where 12 died in hospital, 421 in ICT among two in hospital, 184 in Balochistan and one died in hospital, 101 in GB and 224 in AJK where two died in hospital during this time span.

A total of 6,775,307 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 625 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 2,745 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

Meanwhile, Dr Zafar Mirza, the premier's former special assistant on health, said that he had recommended placing strict restrictions across the country when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country in March last year., reported a private news channel.

Speaking at the Arts Council in Karachi, he reflected on his time as Pakistan's health minister under a pandemic. "I had advised the premier to impose strict restrictions to contain the virus spread. I suggested we lockdown the country in March."

Dr Mirza said he had returned to Pakistan on a personal request made by PM Imran Khan. The former special assistant resigned in July 2019 in the backdrop of public scrutiny over the matter of dual nationalities held by members of PM Imran Khan's cabinet.

Following his exit, there were speculations that the renowned healthcare professional would assume a role in the WHO. Responding to those reports, Dr Mirza said that he decided to remain in the country after seeing all the problems Pakistan faces.