Daily Times

The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients saw a huge jump on Saturday to reach 12,657, with 5,326 cases reported in Punjab, 4,232 in Sindh, 1,793 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 721 in Balochistan, 307 in Gilgit Baltistan, 223 in Islamabad and 55 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has claimed at least 265 lives while some 2,755 coronavirus patients have recovered.

On Saturday, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) MNA Munir Khan Orakzai tested positive for the virus, the politician’s son said. “My father was on a ventilator at Hayatabad Complex last night. He is doing much better now,” Akhtar Munir Orakzai said, adding that his father had contracted the virus after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus. “Because of the lockdown, my father is at home. The rest of the family is also undergoing tests,” he said.

Assistant to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister for local government Kamran Bangash also tested positive for coronavirus, the provincial health minister tweeted on Saturday. “It is sad to announce that honourable assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for local government Mr Kamran Bangash has tested positive for coronavirus. He has requested the public to stay home in order to defeat the virus. We wish him a speedy recovery,” the health department said.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan emphasised on the need to for everyone to observe social distancing “It is sorrowful news about the corona test resulting positive for Kamran Bangash. May Allah give him the strength to beat the virus. We are all praying for him. It can’t be emphasized enough that it is absolutely necessary for everyone to observe social distancing,” he said.

A senior doctor at Peshawar’s Hayatabad Medical Complex passed away from Covid-19 early on Saturday morning, the hospital’s director Shehzad Faisal confirmed. Dr Javed was an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist and had been working inside the Covid-19 ward of the hospital. “He was on the front lines to combat the coronavirus,” he said, adding that Dr Javed had tested positive for the coronavirus a week ago and was on a ventilator. He is the first doctor in the province to die of the virus. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said that he will nominate Dr Javed for a civil award in recognition of his ‘splendid job and unmatched sacrifice’.

Two district courts in Lahore were sealed after a judicial magistrate tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Six other magistrates from the same district court have also been asked to get themselves tested and stay home until they receive conclusive results.

Five doctors and a municipal committee chairman in Shikarpur district have tested positive for coronavirus. District focal person Dr Salahuddin Shaikh told media that all the infected individuals have been asked to isolate themselves at their homes, while those who have come in contact with them were tested as well.

Punjab confirmed 475 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 5,326, according to a spokesperson for the provincial health department. The province also reported 10 more deaths, its highest one-day figure, taking total death toll to 78.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed 85 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 1,793. The province also reported four more deaths, all from Peshawar, taking the death toll to 93. Thirteen more patients recovered on Saturday, raising the total number of recoveries to 485 across the province.

Sixty-five new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Balochistan, according to provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani. This brings the total number of infections in Balochistan to 721. The Balochistan health department, in its daily situational report, confirmed one more casualty due to coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 11 in the province. Sindh health authorities reported 287 new cases on Saturday, raising the provincial tally to 4,232. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the virus claimed three more lives in the province. The provincial death toll stands at 78. In the past 24 hours, 2,599 tests have been conducted. He urged people to stay at home and ensure social distancing and thanked doctors, police and rangers for their efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus. “These organisations are working for the betterment of patients and the public,” the chief minister added. The chief minister said more than half of Sindh’s new coronavirus cases have been reported from Karachi. In a video message, he said 199 of the 287 new coronavirus cases were reported from Karachi. Terming the situation ‘very serious’, the chief minister underscored the need to adopt precautionary measures advised by the World Health Organisation and local experts.