Punjab reports new coronavirus cases, nation-wide tally rises to 887

The number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 887 after Punjab reported three new cases in the province on Tuesday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 887.

According to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, there are 176 confirmed cases in Dera Ghazi Khan, 51 in Lahore, five in Gujrat, six in Jhelum, three in Jhelum, two each in Rawalpindi and Multan and one case each in Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Rahim Yar Khan and Sargodha.

The chief minister also urged citizens to stay indoors and help in containing the virus as the province began its 14-day lockdown.

Sindh remains the worst affected with a total of 394 cases. In Karachi alone, the numbers of cases are 130 with the majority said to be cases of “local transmission”.

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, the number of cases in the province stands at 38 after four new patients were reported, while the number of reported cases in Gilgit-Baltistan is 80.

Balochistan has reported 108 cases, while one case has been reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

While in Islamabad, 15 patients have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The country has also reported six deaths from the virus, with Balochistan reporting its first death on Sunday.

Balochistan government’s spokesperson, Liaquat Shahwani confirmed the province’s first death from the virus in a tweet.

The deceased was a 65-year-old man, under treatment at the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, according to Shahwani.

A doctor from Gilgit Baltistan was reported as the country’s fifth death. Dr Osama Riaz who screened suspected pilgrims returning to Pakistan from Iran tested positive on Friday, Dr Shah Zaman, a senior member of the Health Department and focal person of GB government for coronavirus, told The News.

According to Zaman who met the physician on Thursday evening, the doctor looked fine and did not complain of anything. However, when his wife tried to wake him the next day, he did not respond.

The doctor was shifted to the Provincial Headquarter Hospital (PHQ) in Gilgit city where he was put on a ventilator and a swab test done which came back as positive confirming him as a positive case.

On Sunday morning, Adviser to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information Ajmal Wazir announced the country’s fourth death from the virus, while speaking to the media.