Dr Usama Riaz, who played a vital role in screening suspected patients in the region, has passed away as number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 777. A statement issued by Gilgit-Baltistan Information Department stated with great grief that Dr Usama Riaz Jam, who played a leading role in Gilgit-Baltistan’s fight against coronavirus, has passed away. The martyr will be given status of a national hero. Spokesperson for the Balochistan government had earlier confirmed the first death of the province – 65-year-old Muhammad Ali, a resident of Alamdar Road. He had been receiving treatment at Sheikh Zaid Hospital for the last four days. The coronavirus cases in Pakistan have surged to 777 as 333 patients have been tested positive in Sindh, 108 in Balochistan, 222 in Punjab, 31 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 71 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 11 in Islamabad and one Azad Kashmir. Meanwhile, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, spokesperson for the Punjab chief minister, confirmed 222 cases in the province. According to details, out of 222 cases, 153 are pilgrims, 36 in Lahore, four in Gujranwala, three each in Gujrat and Jhelum, two in Rawalpindi and one patient in Multan. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday had confirmed the third death due to the novel coronavirus in the province. Addressing a news conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government Spokesperson Ajmal Wazir said a woman who tested positive for the virus had passed away on Saturday. She had recently returned from Iran. Wazir said the province had 31 confirmed and 179 suspected cases of the COVID-19. The provincial government previously announced a lockdown and shut down all markets, shopping malls and restaurants from Sunday 9am to March 24 owing to escalation in the transmission of COVID-19. The government also barred restaurants and eateries from takeaways, only allowing home delivery services. It may be mentioned here that public gatherings and private ceremonies in houses and closed compounds are also banned, while educational institutions remain closed. The KP government also suspended inter-district public transport for seven days with effect from 9am on March 23. Wazir urged the citizens to cooperate with the government by limiting social interactions and avoid gatherings. Earlier, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza had put the tally of COVID-19 patients in the country at 646. Addressing a press conference, he said coronavirus had infected 0.3 million people across 188 countries, killing around 13,000 people, but 95,000 of those had fully recovered and discharged from the hospitals. “The federal government, provinces and all the stakeholders are working on war footing for safety and well-being of people. All resources are being mobilised and measures taken for prevention and mitigation,” Dr Zafar Mirza said. The special assistant said training for about 5,000 doctors would be arranged for dealing with and treating the coronavirus patients. He advised the citizens to wash hands regularly with soap, besides cleaning surfaces regularly with recommended disinfectants. He also asked the citizens to avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with contaminated hands and practice respiratory hygiene by coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow or tissue and then immediately dispose it off. He said the citizens should wear a medical or surgical mask if they had respiratory symptoms and wash hands after disposing of the mask. He asked them to maintain a minimum of mandatory one metre distance from individuals with respiratory symptoms. He said if the symptoms appeared, doctors or 1166 should be approached immediately.