The nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients jumped to 60,083 on Wednesday, with 21,118 cases reported in Punjab, 24,206 in Sindh, 8,483 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3,536 in Balochistan, 638 in Gilgit Baltistan, 1,879 in Islamabad and 223 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The virus has claimed at least 1,240 lives while about 19,142 coronavirus patients have recovered so far. Punjab on Wednesday reported 464 more Covid-19 cases and 10 new deaths, according to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department. With the new cases, Punjab’s tally has risen to 21,118 while the total death toll has risen to 362. Further, 6,185 patients have recovered from the disease while 73 are in critical condition. As many as 699 new cases of novel coronavirus were detected in Sindh over the past 24 hours, rising the tally of infections to 24,206 across the province, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Wednesday. In a video statement on the coronavirus situation, Shah said that 2,177 tests were conducted in Sindh during 24 hours, while six more people died from Covid-19, taking the number of fatalities to 380 in the province. A total of 163,805 tests have been conducted in the province, he said, adding that 235 coronavirus patients are in a critical condition and 42 of them are on ventilators. The tally of total coronavirus patients under treatment in Sindh is 14,556, and 12,836 among them are under treatment at homes. While 793 being kept at isolation centres, 927 patients have been admitted at various hospitals across the province, Shah said, adding that 755 more patients have recuperated from the disease. “So far 882 children under age of 10 have tested #Covid19 positive in #Sindh. This sharp increase in number shows how careless we have been & have unfortunately brought this virus home. It is still not too late to be careful. Cant we defer shopping & socialising?” Senator Murtaza Wahab tweeted. Four more patients infused with blood plasma of the patients recovered from Covid-19 have recovered at Civil Hospital Hyderabad, top official of the health facility said. “Five patients of novel coronavirus underwent the passive immunization process at the hospital and four of them recovered to health,” Medical Superintendent Civil Hospital Hyderabad said. One patient, however, died, despite undergoing the plasma therapy at the hospital, he said. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, in its daily situational report, confirmed nine more casualties due to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours to bring the provincial death toll to 425. Seven deaths were reported from Peshawar, and one each from Swat and Kohat. At least 224 new cases – 45 from Torkham and 10 from Int’l flights center – were also reported, taking the total to 8,483. At least 54 more patients also recuperated, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,632. The Provincial Doctors Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday demanded to close the District Headquarters Hospital after 26 employees of the hospital tested positive for the coronavirus. Addressing a press conference, the association demanded immediate closure of the hospital due to coronavirus outbreak, adding that the hospital should be opened only after proper disinfection. According to the government’s official portal, at least 19,142 people have recovered from the novel coronavirus in Pakistan. The novel coronavirus emerged in the central China city of Wuhan towards the end of last year and proliferated to almost the whole world within a couple of months.