ISLAMABAD: Pakistan registered 157 deaths related to Covid-19 on Saturday, the highest number of deaths confirmed in a single day since the start of the pandemic in February last year.
Statistics 24 April 21:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 52,402
Positive Cases: 5908
Positivity % : 11.27%
Deaths : 157— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) April 24, 2021
The daily death toll is published by the Ministry of National Health Services (MoNHS) and can include fatalities that took place days ago but were just confirmed to authorities on the day in question.
The government portal has recorded more than 790,016 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including at least 17,000 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. Officials said Friday 144 deaths and nearly 5,900 new cases of infection had been reported.
Punjab has been the worst hit with 285,542 cases followed by Sindh where 276,670 people have been tested positive, the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) said in a statement.
Officials said hospitals in major cities, including Islamabad and Lahore, are nearly filled to capacity with coronavirus patients.
Speaking in a talk show, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said that despite the increasing cases and deaths, the situation was better than in India where the healthcare system is buckling as a record surge in positive cases puts pressure on hospital beds and drains oxygen supplies.
Chaudhry further said a planeload of 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines arrived from China on Friday.
The high death rate follows a sharp increase in infections in early March following a relaxation of public-health measures the anteceding month.
Health experts believe that the variant of Covid-19 initially discovered in the United Kingdom has been behind the surge in the number of infections in the country.
“The new variant seemed to be more contagious and deadly, and the only way we can control it is to shut all kinds of activities that may play role in the spread of the disease,” Ejaz Ahmad Khan, an infectious disease specialist at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, told Xinhua.
The government on Friday deployed the army into cities to assist in enforcing public safety restrictions, called standard operating procedures (SOPs), to contain the pandemic outbreak, warning the country may soon be facing a health crisis similar to that of India unless the current peak of infections is reversed.
Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation after chairing an emergency meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) as the number of Covid-19 infections soar across the country.
“I have also asked the Pakistan Army to now come out on the streets and help our law enforcement, our police to ensure people are strictly following [COVID-19] SOPs, including wearing masks,” he said.
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, said authorities were struggling to maintain the much-needed supply of oxygen to hospitals across Pakistan for Covid-19 patients, as the number of cases soars.
“We have reached 90 percent capacity of oxygen supplies and a big chunk of it is being used to treat patients with coronavirus infection,” Umar said.
NEW RESTRICTIONS:
The authorities have imposed targeted restrictions in hotspots, closing all educational institutions in areas with a five percent transmission rate, banning public gatherings, sports events, and wedding ceremonies.
The restrictions were further tightened Friday, restaurant dining — both indoor and outdoor — was banned after 6:00 pm, and only essential trade allowed after those hours. Restaurants, Umar announced, will remain closed until Eidul Fitr.
New set of NPIs (Non Pharmaceutical Interventions) decided in NCC meeting chaired by PM Imran Khan are attached. These NPIs will be implemented forthwith and remain enforced till 17th May 21. pic.twitter.com/slZaUP0Ku1
— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) April 23, 2021
“We have restricted attendance in workplaces to 50 percent with work hours restricted to 2:00 pm,” he said adding that the corporate centres will be closed by 6:00 pm.
“Shopping will only be allowed in the morning,” he said while urging the people to avoid waiting for the last days for Eid preparations.
The minister further shared that all schools in areas witnessing a positivity rate of five percent will remain shut.
“Effective testing will also be performed on the travellers from abroad,” he said.
CANADA, OMAN BAN TRAVEL FROM PAKISTAN:
This week, the governments of Canada and Oman temporarily barred passenger flights from Pakistan, as well as India, as part of stricter measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The center-left Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted after prominent right-leaning politicians complained Ottawa had not done enough to combat a third wave of infections ripping through Canada.
The ban, which took effect at 11:30 pm on Friday does not affect cargo flights.
Starting today, Oman will also bar entry to arrivals from Pakistan — as well as India and Bangladesh.
“The ban begins at 6:00 pm on Saturday, 24 April 2021, and continues till further notice,” a statement carried by state-owned Oman News Agency said.
The decision was taken earlier this week by the country’s Supreme Committee — tasked with tackling the pandemic — to curb the spread of coronavirus, Sultanate of Oman Television announced.
The committee said the ban would cover passengers who passed by any of the three countries over the past two weeks.
