Corona claims 78 lives, infects 3,447

By Our correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The national tally of total active COVID-19 cases on Monday recorded 80,375 with 3,447 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 4,824 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours.

Seventy-eight corona patients died during past 24 hours, 68 of them were under treatment in hospital and 10 were quarantined at homes, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). During the past 24 hours, most of the deaths occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by the Punjab. Out of total 78 deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, 31 of them died who were on ventilators. The National Covid positivity ratio during past 24 hours was recorded 9.12 percent. It may be mentioned here that the COVID positivity ratio was the percentage of actual positive cases appearing in every 100 tests performed to identify the infected individuals.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Lahore 67 percent, Multan 69 percent, Gujranwala 79 percent and Peshawar 50 percent.

The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) was also occupied in four major areas of Gujranwala 51 percent, Swat 44 percent, Peshawar 52 percent and Multan 61 percent. Around 652 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan.

Some 37,756 tests were conducted across the country on Sunday, including 14,486 in Sindh, 10,290 in Punjab, 8,180 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 2,816 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,057 in Balochistan, 295 in GB, and 632 in AJK.

Around 762,105 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 861,473 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 17,945, Balochistan 23,447, GB 5,388, ICT 78,200, KP 124,484, Punjab 319,365 and Sindh 292,644. About 18,993 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion.

Around 4,742 have perished in Sindh among 13 of them died in hospital and three out of the hospital on Sunday. 9,058 in Punjab had died with 26 deaths occurred in past 24 hours. 20 of them in the hospital and six out of hospital. 3,615 in KP where 26 of them died in hospital and one out of hospital on Sunday, 715 in ICT among seven of them died in the hospital on Sunday, 248 in Balochistan among one of them died in the hospital on Sunday, 107 in GB and 508 in AJK among one of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital on Sunday.

A total of 12,228,427 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 639 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 5,342 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country. –

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has imposed ban on inter-provincial, inter-city and intra-city public transport, except private vehicles, cabs and rickshaws with 50% occupancy, with effect from 6pm on Monday till 6am on Saturday, May 15.

Goods transport and company transport carrying labourers will remain exempt from operation of this order, while rail service will operate at 70pc capacity.

The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD), Punjab, on Monday, issued a notification slapping ban on Chaand Raat bazaars including Mehndi, jewellery/ornaments and clothing stalls, as well as additional restrictions in 26 districts with more than 8pc positivity rate of COVID-19 infections in the province.

The lockdown, which will remain effective till May 16, will ensure closure of all markets, businesses, offices and shops across the province, except the essential services including pharmacies/medical stores, medical facilities and vaccination centres, petrol pumps, Tandoors, milk/dairy shops, food takeaways/home delivery from restaurants and e-commerce, which will remain open for 24 hours.

Besides, the grocery stores and beverage distributors, bakeries, Karyana stores, sweet shops, meat/chicken shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, atta Chakkies, agriculture batteries shops, dry cleaner shops, laundry and related services, postal/courier offices and related services, all kinds of mandis including grain, fruit, cattle and vegetable markets, auto workshops, oil depots, opticians, utility services (electricity, natural gas, internet, cellular networks/telecom, call centres) & money exchange companies will remain open from 9am till 6pm, seven days a week.

There will be ban on indoor and outdoor dining throughout the province and only takeaway/home delivery will be allowed. Whereas indoor wedding functions are banned throughout the province, the outdoor marriage functions will remain banned and shrines will be closed in 26 districts with 8pc or above positivity rate including Attock, Bahawalpur, Bhakkar, Chakwal, Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhang, Kasur, Khanewal, Khushab, Lahore, Mandi Bahauddin, Mianwali, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Okara, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura and Toba Tek Singh.