Number of positive Covid-19 cases in Islamabad soars to 43

Prime Minister's Special Assistant on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza has said that confirm coronavirus positive cases in Pakistan are 1,526, including 43 in Islamabad, Punjab 558, Sindh 481, Balochistan 138, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 188, Gilgit-Balitistan (GB) 116, and two in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, he said that personal protection equipment sufficient for one month for health workers of the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan has been provided.
He said that 28 affected people had recovered, while 13 had died of the virus. Mirza said that a total of 8,066 people had been placed in quarantine of which tests of 4,365 people had been conducted. Of those tested 869 (20 percent) were positive, he added.
Mirza said that the 857 positive cases came from Iran, which makes 58 percent of the total patients, 191 arrived from other countries, and 420 cases were home grown.
The special assistant said 756 of 1,526 cases were under treatment in various hospitals of the country and 745 of them were showing stable condition and were likely to fully recover soon.
He said 11 patients were in critical condition, who were being treated at ICU. He said 8,066 people were in quarantine centers, and only 20 percent of them were corona positive.
He said that at this time, the global tally of COVID-19 cases was more than 664,000, and more than 31,000 deaths, whereas, nearly 150,000 had recovered from the disease.
He said that all necessary steps were being taken to cope with the situation amid coronavirus.
He said that doctors and paramedical staff were being given safety equipment on an emergency basis.
He said that the government had provided safety equipment for one month to Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and AJK.
He said all out efforts were being made to protect the health workers in the fight against the COVID-19.
The special assistant to the prime minister urged the people to observe social distancing and avoid handshaking and hugging to prevent spread of the coronavirus.