Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday rose to 12,227.
At least 5,046 cases were reported in Punjab, 4,232 in Sindh, 1,708 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 656 in Balochistan, 307 in Gilgit Baltistan, 223 in Islamabad, and 55 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 251, while at least 2,755 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.
Briefing the media about the decisions taken by the Centre and provinces at a meeting held at the NCOC on Friday, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that it was decided in the meeting to extend restrictions or lockdown for another 15 days till May 9.
Meanwhile, the federal government in collaboration with the Pakistani diaspora working in the health sector has launched Yaran-e-Watan programme.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that the Yaran-e-Watan progranmme was launched with the assistance of International Organisation on Migration (IOM) and World Health Organisation (WHO).
It is pertinent to mention here that more than 2.7 million people have been infected with Covid-19 and nearly 197,409 have died from it since the new coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, according to a tally.
