- Pakistan coronavirus death toll has risen to 26
- Confirmed cases in Pakistan have crossed 1,800
- Recoveries are also on the rise with 88 recorded so far
- Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani also announced recovery
- PM Imran Khan says lockdowns don’t work for the poor
- Prime Minister’s Coronavirus Relief Fund to open on Wednesday
While the country sees a swift surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, recoveries are also taking place with Pakistan’s total number of patients testing negative reaching 61 on Tuesday. As many as 23 zaireen in Sukkur and 17 patients in Balochistan, among others, were tested negative after isolation and treatment.
Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani, who had tested positive for the virus over a week ago but was asymptomatic, also announced that he was now free of the virus. Britain’s Prince Charles also got out of a self-isolation he entered a week ago after testing positive for coronavirus, the palace announced Monday.
But, the virus’s devastation continued in Pakistan and the world over. Covid-19 claimed many more lives on Monday taking Pakistan’s toll to 26. New cases also kept flooding in which made the country’s confirmed cases surge past 1,800. PM Imran Khan, on the other hand, sounded persistently against large-scale lockdowns in his national address saying they don’t work for the poor.
The global coronavirus terror continues to strengthen. A top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters on Sunday that it’s ‘entirely conceivable’ that more than 1 million people in the US could contract coronavirus. Monday marked a grim new milestone for the country where its death toll rose by a deadly 540-plus crossing 3,000.
President Trump on Monday said that keeping US Covid-19 deaths to 100,000 would be a ‘very good job’ as he extended social distancing rules to 30 April. In Europe too, the coronavirus dread showed no signs of abating with both Italy and Spain registering over 800 single-day deaths each on Monday too as the situation worsened in Germany, France, and the UK among other European nations.
Here are the latest updates:
200 in Peshawar to go home after completing quarantine
KP govt spokesperson Ajmal Khan Wazir has said that about 200 ‘patients’ in Peshawar will go home after completing their quarantine period.
Alhamdulilah 10 Darazinda Dera Ismail khan
02 Peshawar
Total patients are ok and allowed to go home.
200 people who were under quarantine in Peshawar after a positive case their quarantine will end today.#KPK #Coronavirus #coronaviruspakistan— Ajmal Khan Wazir (@AjmalkWazir) March 31, 2020
Punjab overtakes Sindh again with total reaching at 708
According to the latest update from Punjab CM Usman Buzdar, Punjab cases have risen to 708.
Confirmed #COVID19 patients in Punjab are 708, out of which 337 are in DGK, Multan, Raiwind & FSD quarantines. 9 precious lives have been lost and one critical patient is being treated to the best!
We all need to practice #SocialDistancing and save our loved ones from any pain.
— Usman Buzdar (@UsmanAKBuzdar) March 31, 2020
Reuters explains key coronavirus terms
The new coronavirus: key terms explained https://t.co/bByB4vndkb pic.twitter.com/8tWmTxUF8I
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) March 31, 2020
UAE uses drones to sanitize cities
The UAE is using drones to help sanitize its cities amidst the coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/BOkwPBP0sE pic.twitter.com/9bYwqIZc1x
— CNN (@CNN) March 31, 2020
FDA authorizes use of new two-minute test kit for coronavirus
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of Bodysphere Inc’s test that can detect the coronavirus in nearly two minutes, the privately held company said on Tuesday.
The FDA has been rushing to approve tests on an emergency basis and last week approved Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT.N) test that can deliver results within minutes.
Source: Reuters
Sindh reports 10 more recoveries
Another 10 people have recovered from coronavirus in Sindh.
Out of these 10, nine were in home isolation while one was being treated at a local hospital.
With this, total recoveries in Sindh have reached 51 so far.
NEW CASES: Punjab 18, GB 30, KP 32
Punjab has reported 18 new cases that take its provincial total to 676.
Gilgit Baltistan registered another 30 cases with its tally jumping to 178.
KP also reported addition of 32 new cases with its total reaching 253.
Hyderabad Tableeghi Jamaat cases climb to 94
The coronavirus cases among Hyderabad’s Tableeghi Jamaat members have jumped to 94 so far taking Sindh’s tally to 676.
Most of the new cases emerging now are of local transmission.
Raiwind city put under complete lockdown
The city of Raiwind, the hub of largest religious gatherings in Pakistan, has been put under complete lockdown with shops closed and people ordered to stay indoors.
The development comes after a mosque in the city was suspected to be housing as many as 50 coronavirus patients. Upon screening, 27 of them did test positive for the virus.
The infected have been shifted to the Kala Shah Kaku quarantine facility or a facility in Kasur. Over 2,200 people are still in the area and medical teams are running tests on the suspected patients.
Source: Geo News
KP also bans congregational prayers
Days after Sindh and Punjab banned congregational prayers in an effort to curb the coronavirus spread, KP has also implemented a similar ban.
Although the province is not calling it a ban per se, the directives do limit the prayer congregations to ‘five or less people’, as already in effect in Sindh and Punjab.
Top social media sites delete world leaders’ posts containing coronavirus misinformation
Facebook deleted a video from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that claimed hydroxychloroquine was totally effective in treating the virus.
He has repeatedly downplayed the virus and encouraged Brazilians to ignore medical advice on social distancing.
It follows Twitter’s deletion of a homemade treatment tweeted by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Both social networks rarely interfere with messages from world leaders, even when they are verifiably untrue.
Source: BBC
Asad Umar addresses press conference
#Live: Minister for Planning @Asad_Umar briefing media in #Islamabad. #StayAtHome #StayAtHomeAndStaySafe #StayAtHomeSaveLives #NationSalutesCOVIDFighters #CoronaVirusPakistan #TogetherWeCan https://t.co/novy7jc2bK
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) March 31, 2020
Caring for a coronavirus patient at home? Read this to stay safe.
#COVID19 home-caregivers:
Ensure ill person rests, drinks plenty fluids & eats nutritiously
Wear😷when in same room
Clean🙌frequently
Use dedicated🍽️🥛towel & bedlinen for ill person
Disinfect surfaces touched by ill person
📞healthcare facility if person has difficulty breathing pic.twitter.com/5TphNdYMC9— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 31, 2020
Saeed Ghani warns against ‘viral’ letter
Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani has warned against a fake letter about Coronavirus Emergency Fund that’s doing rounds on social media.
According to Ghani, the letter is fake and the govt would officially make the correct details public soon.
سوشل میڈیا پر وائرل ہونے والا یہ لیٹر درست نہیں ہے ۔ درست تفصیلات حکومت سندھ سرکاری طور پر جلد ہی جاری کریگی۔ pic.twitter.com/lyEVqeSb8E
— Senator Saeed Ghani (@SaeedGhani1) March 31, 2020
All Tableeghi Jamaat members must stay in marakiz and consider them as quarantines: IGP Sindh
A new notification from the IGP Sindh Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar directs police officers in the province to ensure that all Tableeghi Jamaat members remain inside their marakiz which have been declared as temporary quarantines.
The decision comes after news of more Jamaat members testing positive mainly in Sindh. Only today, as many as 54 members of a Tableeghi Jamaat tested positive for Covid-19 in Hyderabad.
17 more recover in Balochistan
Balochistan govt spokesperson Liaqat Shahwani has confirmed the recovery of 17 more coronavirus patients who were under treatment at Quetta’s Sheikh Zayed Hospital.
All these patients have been declared virus-free only after testing negative for the virus twice.
الحمداللہ #کوئٹہ کے شیخ ذید ہسپتال میں #كرونا کے 17مریض مکمل صحتیابی کے بعد ہسپتال سے ڈسچارج۔
درج بالامریضوں کے ٹیسٹ منفی آنےکےبعد دوبارہ اطمینان کیلئے ٹیسٹ کیئے گئے جو دوبارہ منفی آگئے
ملک میں کرونا کےبیقوقت صحتیاب ہونے والی مریضوں کی یہ سب سے بڑی تعداد ہے#CoronaFreePakistan https://t.co/TKUfgUxcoW— Liaquat Shahwani (@LiaquatShahwani) March 31, 2020
India cracks down on Tableeghi Jamaat
Indian authorities sealed off the headquarters of a Muslim missionary group on Tuesday and ordered an investigation into accusations it held religious meetings that officials fear may have infected dozens of people with the coronavirus.
India has registered 1,251 cases of the coronavirus, of whom 32 have died, the health ministry said. The numbers are small compared with the United States, Italy and China but health officials say India faces a huge surge that could overwhelm its weak public health system.
Source: Reuters
Balochistan registers 6 new coronavirus cases
6 new cases of coronavirus were detected in Balochistan, taking its provincial tally to 158 so far.
Meanwhile, the province has also recorded 17 more recoveries.
One more coronavirus death reported in Karachi
Another Covid-19 death has been reported in Karachi where a 70-year-old patient succumbed to the virus.
According to reports, the patient’s results came out positive after he had passed away. It was another case of local transmission as the patient had no recent travel history.
Pakistan receives medical supplies donated by Chinese company
Chinese companies are together with Pakistan in fighting coronavirus:Ji Chun Group(Kunlun International) Presents Epidemic Prevention Materials to Pakistan to Fight #Covid-19 #ChinaPakSolidarity @ArifAlvi @ImranKhanPTI @ForeignOfficePk @zlj517 @MFA_China @WorldPTV @RadioPakistan pic.twitter.com/krUZ3IuYET
— Chinese Emb Pakistan (@CathayPak) March 31, 2020
Patients carry coronavirus up to 8 Days after recovering: study
According to a new study titled ‘Time Kinetics of Viral Clearance and Resolution of Symptoms in Novel Coronavirus Infection’ coronavirus patients can remain infectious even after recovering from the affliction.
Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the study reveals that recovered patients carry the coronavirus up to 8 days after their symptoms alleviate completely.
Read the full story here.
UN warns Pakistan could be hardest-hit by pandemic
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Monday bracketed Pakistan among the countries which would be the hardest-hit by the global pandemic of coronavirus, demanding a raft of measures for their relief.
UNCTAD said in a new report that the developing countries – which according to a UN body’s tally number 170 – would need a $2.5 trillion support package this year to face the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.
Source: Express Tribune
KP closes all hospital OPDs
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued directives for the closure of all outpatient departments at tertiary care hospitals and district headquarter hospitals across the province.
The orders will go into effect from April 1 and last till April 13. The province has also banned private hospitals/clinics for the same period.
Punjab reports 7 new cases
Punjab health dept spokesperson has Qaiser Arif has confirmed that 7 new coronavirus cases have emerged in the province.
The provincial tally now stands at 659.
NEW CASES: Islamabad 7, GB 20
Many new coronavirus cases have been reported in Pakistan on Tuesday.
Out of these, seven were reported in Islamabad while 20 were registered in Gilgit Baltistan.
54 Tableeghi Jamaat members test positive in Hyderabad
According to a Sindh health dept official, as many as 54 members of a Tableeghi Jamaat have tested positive for Covid-19 in Hyderabad.
Samples of 200 ijtima participants were taken out of which 90 have come positive so far, the official said. The new numbers take Hyderabad tally to 94 so far.
4 more coronavirus recoveries confirmed in Pakistan
Pakistan has reported 4 new Covid-19 recoveries on Tuesday.
Sindh reports 61 new cases
61 new coronavirus cases, all of local transmission, have been reported in Sindh taking its total to 627.
Of these, Karachi reported 45, Jamshoro 2, while the virus was also detected in 14 more members of the Tableeghi Jamaat in Hyderabad.
Govt launches WhatsApp helpline for coronavirus
The Govt of Pakistan has launched a Covid-19 WhatsApp helpline that will provide information regarding the virus and the disease in as many as 7 languages.
Users can get the said information by sending a message to +92 300 111 1166.
For our coronavirus coverage from March 30, click here.
