The United States government has announced to contribute $7 million through United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme to alleviate secondary effects of Covid-19 in Pakistan. According to the US embassy’s press release, USAID will donate $7m to provide financial assistance to the families in need due to effects of pandemic through Asian Development Bank. In this regard, a signing ceremony among USAID’s Mission Director Julie Koenen and ADB’s Country Director Yong Ye was held in Islamabad on Thursday. USAID’s funds will also provide technical and administrative support to ensure effective implementation, accountability, and transparency for the programme beneficiaries. The grants will be distributed through the ‘Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme’ managed by the Benazir Income Support Fund Programme. Covid-19 cases were slightly on the rise on Thursday as 460 more people tested positive for the virus while 336 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours, while 10 patients, including three on ventilators, died raising the nationwide death toll to 28,638, positivity ratio rose to 1.11% on Thursday, almost double of 0.64% recorded two days ago, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said.