Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday rose to 18,662.
At least 6,854 cases were reported in Punjab, 7,102 in Sindh, 2,799 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,136 in Balochistan, 340 in Gilgit Baltistan, 365 in Islamabad, and 66 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the National Command and Control Centre, the death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 421, while at least 4,715 patients have fully recovered.
The number of coronavirus cases has continued to soar despite the country being under a lockdown from the last month.
The government has extended the nation-wide lockdown till May 9 while cautioning the nation that the anti-virus fight had entered a decisive phase that would set the future course of action regarding the restrictions.
However, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said the industries that are being opened include export sector, chemical manufacturing plants, e-commerce, software development and planning, paper and packaging units, industries with labor on site, cement and fertilizer plants, mines and minerals, plant nurseries, agricultural machinery plants, glass manufacturing plants, veterinary services and bookshops.
The agriculture sector will also remain open due to upcoming harvesting of wheat.
It is pertinent to mention here that the officials have recorded more than 3.34 million cases and more than 238,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December 2019.
