Decision on easing curbs after May 9, says minister
islamabad — Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that a decision on the lockdown will be taken close to May 9, reports
However, the minister made it clear that the government could not “open everything and ease the lockdown completely” because it would overburden the healthcare system.
Addressing the media at the National Command and Operation Centre in Islamabad, Umar said: “We will discuss with the prime minister within 2-3 days and then take a decision in the National Coordination Committee meeting about restrictions after May 9 [when the lockdown is due to end].
“The two most important factors to consider here are the number of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) and the number of ventilators.”
Umar said that there were nearly 5,000 beds in ICUs across the country, of which 1,500 were dedicated for virus patients. He added that the country also has 5,000 ventilators and the National
Disaster Management Authority was trying to import even more.
Cases exceed 20,000
Country’s coronavirus tally crossed 20,000 on Sunday after Punjab reported record 640 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the highest jump in a day.
The Punjab health department also recorded six new deaths, taking the provincial death toll to 121.
The Ministry of National Health Services said 23 patients died in this period, taking the total toll to 454. So far, 4,817 people have recovered from the deadly virus, the ministry said.
Out of the total 20,076 virus patients in the country, Punjab has reported 7,494 cases, Sindh 7,465, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 3,129, Balochistan 1,172, Islamabad 393, Gilgit-Baltistan 356 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir 67 cases. The authorities so far have conducted 203,025 tests, including 8,716 in the last 24 hours.
81 passengers test positive
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department confirmed that 81 out of 243 Pakistanis, who returned from Qatar on April 29, have tested positive for novel coronavirus in Peshawar.
All Covid-19 positive patients have been quarantined. Others, whose test results came negative, have been allowed to go home, the health department said in statement.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday night said he was not sure when the vaccine against Covid-19 will be available and expressed fears that “we may have to live with the coronavirus for six months or (even) a year”. Khan said the war against the pandemic can be won by wisdom and not by using force to shut down the masses.
Testing capacity increased
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said the coronavirus testing capacity has been increased in the province as the number of laboratories had been increased to eight.
Addressing a news conference in Lahore, Buzdar said 6,000 people would be tested daily for the coronavirus.
He said that Rs620 million had been spent to make the labs operational.
Speaking about the protest of patients at the Lahore’s Expo Field Hospital, Buzdar said that he was looking into the matter and an inquiry had been ordered. —