Daily Times

Director General Health Dr Hassan Urooj Saturday predicted that a possible second wave of coronavirus infection is expected in November-December, and urged the people to take precautions.

Talking to a private news channel, the DG health urged nation to follow Covid-19 social distancing rules. “We can prevent the second wave of coronavirus pandemic in winter if we continue with public vigilance,” he said, and pointed out how people have relaxed and they no longer wear masks. “People must understand that we are going to live with this virus for a fairly long time, he said, adding that the war against this virus is not over yet.

The total active Covid-19 cases in Pakistan on Saturday were recorded 8,646 as 667 more people tested positive for the deadly virus during the last 24 hours.

Six coronavirus patients lost lives during the last 24 hours, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). No Covid-affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, while 69 ventilators elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,912 allocated for COVID-19 patients, were occupied.

Some 33,665 tests were conducted across the country on Friday, including 10,615 in Sindh, 11,957 in Punjab, 4,401 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 4,658 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,245 in Balochistan, 503 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and 286 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Around 303,062 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 318,266 cases were detected so far, including AJK 2,991, Balochistan 15,498, GB 3,900, ICT 17,210, KP 38,273, Punjab 100,484 and Sindh 139,910. About 6,558 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion, including 2,543 Sindh among two of them died in hospital on Friday, 2,252 in Punjab four of them died in hospital on Friday, 1,263 in KP, 188 in ICT, 146 in Balochistan, 89 in GB and 77 in AJK.

A total of 3,828,952 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 735 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 781 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

The tally of active cases of Covid-19 in Balochistan has dropped to 213 cases, a spokesperson of Balochistan Health Department said on Saturday. In a statement, provincial health department said that 98 percent coronavirus patients have recovered to health in Balochistan. The number of recuperated patients across the province has been 15,139, health department said. In last 24 hours 18 cases of novel coronavirus were reported across the province in 1245 diagnostic tests, health department spokesperson said. Total count of coronavirus cases has reached to 15,498 after detection of 18 new infections in Balochistan.

Punjab on Saturday reported 154 new cases of Covid-19 with four deaths by the disease in last 24 hours. A spokesperson of Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare department said that most cases of novel coronavirus, 68 were reported in Lahore, while 54 new cases were reported in Rawalpindi in last 24 hours.

The novel coronavirus has claimed six more lives and infected at least 221 people during the past 24 hours in Sindh. Giving a daily update on the Covid-19 cases in the province, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that 7,515 samples were tested in 24 hours, which detected 221 new cases of the disease.

A mini lockdown will be imposed in certain coronavirus hotspots of the federal capital, the district health office said on Saturday. A notification was issued, according to which in the first phase, the areas which will be put under a “mini” lockdown include G-9/4, G-10/4, I-8/2 and NPF. The health office said that a few streets of the above areas will be sealed “for now” to curtail the spread of the virus. It urged people to cooperate with health officials and with the security personnel during the lockdown period.