Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday rose to 67,704.
Overall, 24,104 cases were reported in Punjab, 27,360 in Sindh, 9,067 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,087 in Balochistan, 660 in Gilgit Baltistan, 2,192 in Islamabad, and 234 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the National Command and Control Centre, the death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 1,433, while at least 24,131 patients have fully recovered.
The number of coronavirus cases has continued to soar despite the country remained under a lockdown nearly one and a half month.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has urged people not to let their guard down against coronavirus as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths could increase in the country in coming days.
“The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) is closely watching the situation and will adopt strategy accordingly in consultation with various stakeholders,” Dr Zafar Mirza said.
The PM’s aid said that people could not grasp the situation regarding lockdown.
Dr Mirza said there has been no evidence so far of transmission of coronavirus from dead body. He said persons handling the dead body should adopt all precautionary measures, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Earlier during an interview with Pakistan Television (PTV), Dr Zafar Mirza said that the coronavirus situation in Pakistan is “not disastrous” due to the effective measures taken by the government.
He said that the increasing number of patients being reported was because of the increased testing capacity.
The SAPM added that the federal and provincial governments are working in tandem regarding all the decisions to contain Covid-19.
The global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 5.8 million and death toll tops 359,000.
