ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed on Monday that wearing masks and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) must be ensured at all costs to avoid further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He chaired the COVID-19 National Coordination Committee meeting. During the meeting, the Prime Minister said that based on confirmed facts and figures from various countries, it was revealed that during winter, the coronavirus infection could spread and stressed the provincial government to take steps in this regard and develop a strategy.
On the purpose of the meeting, Imran Khan observed that they wanted to take timely decisions to control the second wave of coronavirus and save the country from further harm. The meeting discussed the coronavirus situation, testing, the ratio of its spread in various parts of the country and the increase in the number of cases at the global level, said PM Office Media Wing in a press release. During the meeting, it was told that at the international level, the number of patients affected by the corona had increased. Compared to those figures, the spread of the coronavirus and its damage is very low in Pakistan due to the blessings of Allah Almighty, and the government’s efforts and effective strategies, he added.
During the meeting it was further learned that according to the data for the last six weeks, the corona virus infection had spread in the country. Intelligent lockdowns were imposed in various regions of Karachi, Islamabad, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
It is suggested that measures should be taken to limit all unnecessary activities that are not linked to certain basic requirements such as economy and education to control the second wave of coronavirus. Suggestions regarding restrictions on public gatherings were also presented at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan was recorded at 8,552 people, while 385 others have tested positive for the deadly virus over the past 24 hours. Ten coronavirus patients, 6 of whom are currently under treatment, died in hospital and four were discharged from hospital, according to the latest update released by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC).
About 26,951 tests were conducted across the country as of Sunday, including 8,497 in Sindh, 11,082 in Punjab, 3,141 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 2,855 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 661 in Balochistan, 232 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and 483 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Around 304,185 people have recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant number with a recovery ratio of more than 90 percent of affected patients.
Since the pandemic outbreak, as many as 319,317 cases have been detected to date, including AJK 3,118, Balochistan 15,525, GB 3,937, ICT 17,331, KP 38,348, Punjab 100,764 and Sindh 140,294. Some 6,580 deaths were recorded in the country since the outbreak of contagion, including 2,555 in Sindh, of whom two died in hospital on Sunday and four outside the hospital, 2,258 in Punjab, one died in hospital on Sunday, 1,264 in KP, 189 in ICT, 146 in Balochistan, 90 at GB and 78 at AJK.
So far, 3,884,796 corona tests have been carried out, while 735 hospitals have been equipped with COVID facilities. A total of 804 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals across the country.
