LAHORE: There’s no doubt about the fact that Lahore has turned as epicenter of the novel coronavirus, confirmed Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Tuesday.
“COVID-19 cases in the entire Punjab and that of only Lahore are equal,” Dr Rashid said while talking to media.
The minister said that Lahore had reported more than 18,000 infections so far and held the public’s carelessness responsible for the rise in cases. “At first, people thought the virus does not even exist. Now they’ve begun believing otherwise after seeing their own family members being infected,” she said.
Pakistan has been reporting more than 100 coronavirus deaths every day recently. On Monday, 105 people died, taking the total toll to 2, 172. More than 108,000 known COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the country so far.
However, Dr Rashid said there’s no need to panic because the government has enough facilities to manage the increasing infections.
She said meetings have been called to cope with the spiking cases to place more beds in hospitals. “If people make wearing masks their habit, we can reduce the spread by up to 40%,” the health minister added.
“All provinces are under pressure presently, but Punjab is under the most constraint because of its massive population.”
Read more: Another worst day for Pakistan with 105 deaths; 4,646 infections reported in last 24 hrs
