The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 129,222 on Friday, with 47,382 cases reported in Punjab, 49,256 in Sindh, 16,415 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 7,866 in Balochistan, 1,030 in Gilgit Baltistan, 6,699 in Islamabad and 574 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir so far. The virus has claimed at least 2,496 lives while around 40,247 coronavirus patients have recovered.
Former National Assembly speaker and PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq on Friday tested positive for the novel coronavirus. According to PML-N’s Twitter account, party president Shehbaz Sharif – who himself has contracted the the virus – has expressed concern over Sadiq’s health and prayed for his early recovery.
Punjab has reported 1,919 fresh cases and 49 deaths, the government’s Covid-19 portal said. The total number of cases in Punjab is now 47,382, while the death toll is 890. About 9,546 people have recovered from the disease. Nationwide, 125,933 cases have been reported while the number of deaths recorded is 2,463.
Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir have collectively reported 521 new cases and five deaths, the government’s Covid-19 portal said. Islamabad reported 463 new cases and three deaths. One death was confirmed in GB, where 12 fresh cases emerged. AJK recorded 46 new cases and one death. The capital and federal territories have so far reported 2,074 recoveries collectively.
Health officials in Balochistan have confirmed another four fatalities due to coronavirus in the past 24 hours to bring the provincial death toll to 80. They also reported 193 new cases of Covid-19 to raise the province’s tally to 7,866. At least 2,722 patients have so far recovered in the province.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has confirmed another 10 casualties due to coronavirus in the past 24 hours to bring the provincial death toll to 642. Four deaths were reported from Peshawar, two from Abbottabad, two from Battagram, and one each from Kohat and Dir Lower. As many as 628 new cases were also confirmed, taking the total to 16,415, while 163 more patients recovered to raise the tally to 4,072. A total 95,112 tests have been conducted in the province till now.
Health officials in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have confirmed another 40 cases of coronavirus to bring the state’s total to 574. They also confirmed one more casualty to bring the death toll to 11. With five more patients recovering across the region, the total has reached 242. Active cases now stand at 321.
As many as 2,428 new cases were reported in Sindh taking the provincial tally to 49,256. A total of 17 deaths were reported in the province in the past 24 hours taking the death toll to 793. 11,356 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, while 23,113 people have so far recovered from the virus in the province.
The risk of a second wave of Covid-19 infections big enough to require European lockdowns to be reimposed is moderate to high, EU health experts have said, and depends on the gradual easing of restrictions and how people stick to them.
A pandemic risk assessment by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also predicted a moderate pick-up in infection rates in the coming weeks, although it said transmission has passed its peak in most European countries. “The pandemic is not over,” ECDC director Andrea Ammon said in a statement accompanying the assessment. She said that while there are decreasing trends of Covid-19 infections across Europe, efforts are still needed to limit the spread of the disease.
