ISLAMABAD: Nation-wide death toll crosses 40 as new fatalities were confirmed while the number of confirmed COVID-19 infection cases rose to 2,689 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed in the country.
After the rise in the number of cases in Punjab, nation-wide coronavirus tally shot up from 2,499 to 2,689. There have been a total of 136 recoveries so far and 40 deaths from the virus outbreak in Pakistan.
The province-wise break up of the total number of cases given in Coronavirus dashboard at 10:12am, April 4 Saturday, is as total number of confirmed infections was 2,689, with Punjab still on top of the table with 1,069, Sindh 830, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 343, Gilgit-Baltistan 193, Balochistan 175, Islamabad Capital Territory 68 and AJK 11,
The province-wise break up of the total number of deaths confirmed by National Health authorities given in Coronavirus dashboard at 10:12am, April 4 Saturday, were 40, Sindh crossed Punjab with the death toll of 14, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 11, Punjab 11, Gilgit-Baltistan 3 and Balochistan 1.
Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Saturday morning said that the provincial government had disbursed emergency cash assistance to 170,000 deserving individuals affected by the coronavirus crisis.
“In the past twenty-four hours, emergency cash assistance worth Rs1500 million has been distributed among deserving individuals in Punjab,” he said.
Punjab now has 1,069 confirmed cases, the Chief Minister said, adding that out of these, 563 are under quarantine and 506 are non-quarantined. One patient is critical and six have recovered, the chief minister said.
Sindh is facing shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus testing kits, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday during a meeting he participated in via video link.
The testing kits provided by the provincial disaster management authority had “accuracy issues”, which was why Sindh had opted not to use them, Shah added.
He said that the medical professionals working at the isolation centres and hospitals had to wear PPEs to avoid the risk of infection.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in its nation-wide message warned of possible cyber attacks under the guise of messages containing coronavirus information and advised people not to use WiFi at public places.
In a statement, the PTA told people to be wary of text messages claiming to provide information and updates on COVID-19. It added that everyone should “refrain from using open WiFi at public locations”.
Internet service providers were also cautioned to remain alert of coronavirus-related cyber attacks.
Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Shah appealed to members of a religious gathering to “remain wherever they are” after several other members of the gathering tested positive for the virus.
In a video message, Shah said the country’s people were “experiencing challenging times” owing to the spread of the COVID-19, which has infected over 800 people in the province and over 2,600 across Pakistan.
“I’m humbly requesting our respected elders, friends, and brothers who have arrived in our Sindh province to remain wherever they are and to completely adhere to the health advisory,” the minister stated.
Read more: Deaths by COVID-19 surges to 35, figure infections jumps to 2,441
