Nationwide Covid-19 cases surpass 8,000
islamabad — Sindh province recorded its highest number of deaths in a day, after eight people lost their lives to the deadly coronavirus.
“This is the highest number we have had since the virus claimed its first life on March 19. The total number of deaths account for 2.1 per cent of the cases in the province,” Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a video message.
The chief minister said in the past 24 hours, 182 new cases emerged in the province, raising the provincial tally to 2,537.
Total cases cross 8000
The total number of tests conducted in Sindh on Sunday were 1,520, he added.
The nationwide tally of Covid-19 cases on Sunday stood at 8,212 with 3,686 cases in Punjab, 1,137 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 376 in Balochistan, 257 in GilgitBaltistan, 171 in Islamabad, and 48 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The virus has claimed 167 lives while at least 1,868 coronavirus patients have recovered.
Lockdown tghtened
Keeping in view the rise in number of Covid-19 cases, the administration of Karachi’s South district has decided to tighten the lockdown in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and old city areas, reports The Express Tribune.
The city administration has also decided to set up a 100-bed isolation centre at Lyari General Hospital to treat patients of Covid-19. Besides, four more isolation centres would be established at Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital in the next phase.
Around 300 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the district so far.
Spike in cases next month
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the country may face increased coronavirus cases from mid-May and the healthcare system could come under significant pressure.
“Coronavirus cases are expected to increase from May 15 to May 20,” The Express Tribune quoted Khan as saying on Saturday.
The prime minister said Pakistan has less Covid-19 cases than compared to the rest of the world as the federal government took the timely decision of imposing a lockdown.
“Fifty thousand cases were expected by April 25, but we were saved from the disaster as we implemented a lockdown in March when there were only 25 cases in the country,” Khan said.
He further said the bigger challenge being faced by the country is of unemployment of poor people, who are mostly daily wagers.
“The biggest problem is that the labour workforce is not registered in our country. The government opened the construction industry to protect people from unemployment and hunger.”
The premier added that the government has decided to gradually ease the lockdown as immediately lifting it would defeat its purpose, The Express Tribune reported.
While addressing the police, the premier directed the law enforcers to not take ‘strict measures’. —