The US has passed 10,000 deaths and 367,000 cases, awaiting the worst that is yet to come. Italy, Spain, France, UK, and Iran have all surpassed China – once the epicenter of the pandemic – in death toll, and some in confirmed cases too. Lockdowns are extending and tightening as global cases cross 1.3 million and deaths surge past 74,000. The Philippines shot dead a man for flouting coronavirus rules in the first display of its draconic shoot-to-kill orders.
The globe is commemorating the World Health Day amidst its chaotic fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. Populations are overwhelmed, so are the most powerful of governments, strongest of economies, and best of healthcare systems. While social distancing is showing some progress in helping to flatten the curve, it presents no permanent solution with some countries already mulling easing restrictions. With no proven cure for the new and elusive disease, a vaccine could still be 12-18 months away.
Developing countries like Pakistan are set to get the hardest blow. With over 4,000 confirmed cases and 56 deaths, Pakistan’s coronavirus crisis is far from over. The country saw a record spike in Covid-19 cases on Monday with a trajectory that’s only shooting up every new day. Although the government projections for the next 20 days are grim, they, fortunately, don’t tally with the current trends as yet. With an already struggling economy and compromised healthcare system, Pakistan may not be ready for a peak that authorities and experts foresee.
Here are the latest updates:
Majority of Pakistanis support nationwide lockdown: Gallup
4 in 5 Pakistanis say that the coronavirus poses a threat to their job or business, with 69% believing it poses a very high threat. Business owners (97%), self-employed persons (89%) and daily wagers (84%) consider themselves to be the most at risk.
Punjab dedicates Lahore hospital as exclusive facility for expectant mothers
Punjab has dedicated Ganga Ram Hospital Lahore as an exclusive facility for treatment, care and support of COVID-19 pregnant women#PunjabFightsCorona#MotherCare @Dr_YasminRashid @SHCMEHealth @GOPunjabPK pic.twitter.com/qyO4KH55vM
— Health Department Punjab (@HealthPunjabGov) April 7, 2020
PM Imran Khan reiterates importance of social distancing
COVID-19 has spread across the globe and so far one of the most reliable methods of containing & controlling it is "Social Distancing"
Adopt it, Practice it, Preach it!
Save yourself and your loved ones!#StayHome #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/J3jw0Axpgj— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) April 7, 2020
Balochistan records one more death
One more death, the province’s second so far, was recorded on Tuesday taking the national toll to 56.
The victim suffered renal failure according to a situation report issued by the Balochistan health department.
Wake up before it’s too late: Murtaza Wahab warns nation over serious virus trajectory
Pakistan’s got its 1st #COVIDー19 patient on 26th February. We got our 1000th patient in 29 days. The 2000th patient in 7 days, 3000th patient in 5 days & probably the 4000th patient in 3 days. This is how serious the situation is. Pakistaniyo plz wake up before its too late
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) April 7, 2020
Corps Commanders Conference pays tribute to doctors, paramedics, healthcare workers & LEAs
Forum paid tribute to those on frontline including Drs, paramedics, health care workers & LEAs for braving this pandemic. Forum also paid tribute to Kashmiri people who are fighting the pandemic under Indian atrocities & struggling for their just cause of self determination.(4/5)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) April 7, 2020
Sindh forms doctors’ committee to tackle coronavirus
CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah has formed a committee of doctors to devise a plan for tackling Covid-19 in the province.
Headed by the province’s Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, the committee would include Dr Asim Hussain of Ziauddin Hospital and Dr Saadia Virk of South City Hospital, among others.
Sindh govt directs schools to reduce fees by at least 20 percent
130 zaireen leave Peshawar quarantine
1. Now we are free!
130 Zaireen including men, women and kids with smiling faces, provided sweetmeats, petals and transportation to go home after 14 days of quarantine in Peshawar.
These are our small victories during the #coronavirus pandemic! pic.twitter.com/yt6BV94LpK
— Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) April 7, 2020
Pakistan to be able to conduct 25,000 tests per day by end of April, says Asad Umar
While addressing the media jointly with SAPM on health Zafar Mirza, Asad Umar has said that by April’s end Pakistan will be able to conduct 25,000 Covid-19 tests in a day.
Sania Nishtar interacts with laborers in Islamabad about Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program
Sania Nishtar, PM’s aide on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, interacted with laborers & daily wagers in the federal capital to ascertain how they are making use of Ehsaas Emergency Cash service 8171.
To ascertain how laborers & daily wagers are making use of @Ehsaas_Pk Emergency Cash service 8171, I interacted with laborers in federal capital. Govt will mobilize volunteers to go to places of laborers' congregations so that they can send SMS to 8171 on their behalf. @pid_gov pic.twitter.com/r84BGCey5H
— Senator Dr Sania Nishtar (@SaniaNishtar) April 7, 2020
Sweden reports over 100 deaths from coronavirus in a day
Sweden on Tuesday (April 7) reported another 114 deaths from the new coronavirus, bringing the total to 591 in a country that has adopted a softer approach to containing the spread of the disease.
Sweden’s Public Health Agency said it had recorded a total of 7,693 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country of around 10 million people, adding that some of the newly recorded deaths were due to revised figures from previous days.
Source: Straits Times
Nearly 20% of the NYPD uniformed workforce is out sick
The New York City Police Department has lost its 12th member to a suspected case of coronavirus.
NYPD Auxiliary Police Officer Ramon Roman died on Sunday from coronavirus-related complications, according to a daily coronavirus report from the NYPD.
Nearly 20% of its uniformed workforce is out sick.
Nearly 20% of the NYPD uniformed workforce is out sick https://t.co/wHCR4R5oS6
— CNN (@CNN) April 7, 2020
WhatsApp limits message forwarding to slow spread of coronavirus misinformation
Facebook's WhatsApp limits message forwarding to slow spread of coronavirus misinformation https://t.co/ocEUw5gXU1 via @katielpaul Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the coronavirus: https://t.co/AEYUbdtxWt pic.twitter.com/mEXIxNbEud
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 7, 2020
KP government extends lockdown till April 14
Notification by KP Government on extension of lockdown measures till 14th of April. pic.twitter.com/rKdOAnTjF5
— Health Department KP (@HealthKPGovt) April 7, 2020
Punjab Govt to Launch a Helpline to Provide Ration At Doorsteps During Lockdown
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has announced to launch a tele-ration helpline with the goal of providing essential food items to the poor at their homes during the lockdown.
While addressing the launch ceremony of the National Drug Trial Protect at the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Governor Punjab said that the state will protect its citizens from both Coronavirus and hunger.
Read full story here.
WATCH: CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah salutes frontline workers involved in Covid-19 fight
Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah pays tribute to Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro and salutes doctors…. pic.twitter.com/aE60uFir64
— Sindh Chief Minister House (@SindhCMHouse) April 7, 2020
Covid-19 cases cross 4,000 in Pakistan
The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has jumped past 4,000.
Pakistan saw its highest volume of new cases per day on Monday as 577 new cases were reported in just 24 hours, taking the total to 3,864.
Today, with addition of at least 140 new cases, the national tally now stands at 4,004. The death toll in the country has now reached 55.
Pakistan one of the worst-hit OIC countries
Despite tremendous efforts by all #OIC Member Countries to fight the #COVID19, the virus spreads exponentially. See the evolution of the ten most affected #OIC countries. (Source: #ICD_PS). Read more about what ICD is doing to support #OIC Countries: https://t.co/CHgnMqQS7i pic.twitter.com/mlphN4sfge
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) April 7, 2020
Efforts underway for early repatriation of Pakistanis stranded at airports in world: FM
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says government is making all out efforts for early repatriation of Pakistanis stranded at airports in the world.
Speaking during a visit to Crisis Management Cell at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said we as a nation will have to deal with this pandemic challenge.
He said it is a testing time for the entire nation.
Source: Radio Pakistan
Japan PM Abe Declares Coronavirus State of Emergency Around Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared an emergency for Tokyo and its surrounding regions, after a recent surge in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the metropolis sparked alarm.
The one-month emergency period from April 7 will cover Osaka, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures as well as the capital. The move hands powers to local governments to try to contain the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, including by urging residents to stay at home.
Abe made the announcement at a meeting of his coronavirus task force, one of the procedural steps toward putting the decision into effect. He is expected to give more details at a 7:00 p.m. news conference.
Source: Times
#HelptheHelpers: ProPakistani launches directory of groups and NGOs fighting coronavirus
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been trying to organize relief efforts in our personal capacities to make sure daily wage-workers don’t go hungry and medical professionals get access to the gear they need to stay safe while they treat COVID-19 patients.
Our challenges, amazingly enough, aren’t related to access to funds or gear. We’ve been overwhelmed with the amazing generosity of the wealth and spirit of Pakistanis.
That’s why we’ve built our #HelptheHelpers directory. The directory is a small effort to organize the details of all individuals, volunteer groups, and NGOs that are currently working to distribute ration packs and disburse medical supplies across Pakistan.
For full story, click here.
SITUATION REPORT: Coronavirus in Pakistan in Graphs [April 7th, 2020]
New Cases per province/region:
- Punjab: 425
- KP: 85
- Sindh: 51
- Balochistan: 11
- Islamabad: 01
- GB: 01
- AJK: 03
For the full 7 April situation report, click here.
NEW CASES: Punjab crosses 2,000 as Sindh nears 1,000
Reporting an additional 54 cases, Sindh is seeing its tally nearing 1,000 with 986 present cases.
In Punjab, confirmed coronavirus cases have surged past 2,000 with the total now standing at 2,004.
How blood plasma from recovered patients helps other infected people
AFP graphic on the potential use of blood plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19, to help other infected people pic.twitter.com/SjcBuGqfAQ
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 7, 2020
Govt to formulate strategy on relief operations
صوبوں کے ساتھ تعاون وہم آہنگی کے ساتھ آگے بڑھتے ہوئے مستحق افراد کے گھر گھر پہنچیں گے۔صنعت کا مرحلہ وار پہیہ چلانے کیلئے نیشنل کوآرڈینیشن کمیٹی کی سفارشات بھی کابینہ کے سامنے رکھی جائیں گی۔ریلیف کاوشوں کیلئے ٹائیگر فورس اورمخیرحضرات کے موثرکردار پر لائحہ عمل ترتیب دیا جائے گا۔
— Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan (@Dr_FirdousAwan) April 7, 2020
Pakistan recoveries climb to 429
While the new cases see a continuous spike, new recoveries are being reported too in Pakistan.
The govt portal on coronavirus says that an additional 170 patients have recovered from the disease as the country’s tally of recovered people reaches 429.
Pakistan conducted 3,088 virus tests over past twenty-four hours: NCOC
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday said that Pakistan had conducted a total of 39,183 coroanvirus tests so far of which 3,088 were conducted in the last 24 hours.
According to an update on the latest virus situation in the country, released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), there were 462 hospitals with virus isolation case management facilities across the country.
NEW CASES: AJK 2, Islamabad 1
AJK has reported 2 new coronavirus cases while one more case has been reported in Islamabad Capital Territory.
The tally for AJK is now at 18 while Islamabad stands at 83 confirmed cases so far.
Gujar Khan: 19 relatives of 2 patients test positive for coronavirus
As many as 19 close relatives of two Gujar Khan patients have contracted the novel coronavirus. The said two patients had returned from the UK and France.
One of the two patients, a man aged 86 who returned from the UK, has already died in a Rawalpindi hospital. The other patient, a woman, is still under treatment at a hospital in Rawalpindi.
KP reports 1 new death, 85 new cases
Another fatality has been reported in KP taking the provincial toll to 17, confirms the KP health and finance minister Taimur Khan Jhagra.
He added that as many as 85 new cases were also reported in the province with its tally now reaching 500.
1. Pakhtunkhwa #CoronaVirusUpdate, April 6 end of day.
Total cases increasing from 405 to 500 (85 new cases logged; 10 entries added to previously reported data as part of a data synchronisation exercise to move to a single data entry application at all levels).
Thread to follow. pic.twitter.com/AYZ0Z4gU8R— Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) April 7, 2020
Virus deaths slow in places, but British premier gets worse
The steep rise in coronavirus deaths appeared to be leveling off Monday in hard-hit New York, echoing a trend underway in Italy and Spain, while the crisis escalated alarmingly in Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care after his condition deteriorated.
Johnson, 55, was conscious and did not immediately need to be put on a ventilator, his office said. The prime minister is the world’s first known head of government to fall ill with the virus.
Source: AP
Balochistan lockdown extended till April 21
Another two-week extension has been made to Balochistan lockdown that was due to end on Tuesday (today).
The extension orders came from the provincial home department that said the decision was made in view of the “fear of increase in number of Covid-19 cases, which may cause devastating consequences, illness and deaths”.
For our coronavirus coverage from April 6, click here.