Expressing concern over surge in the number of coronavirus patients and rising death toll across the country with every passing day, health professionals called for strict enforcement of precautionary measures to check the spread of disease.

They also emphasised the need of enhancing testing capacity across the country so that with exact number of Corona patients', future strategy be evolved with reliable data.

With increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases across Punjab, the state-run health facilities have been burdened, taking the bed occupancy ratio to around 54-percent, they said.

Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Secretary Dr Qaisar Sajjad said they are 'extremely disturbed' that how our hospitals would manage the load of corona patients in future considering the scale of transmission of the virus in view.

He said the government would have to revisit the current health system in order to remove flaws and create more space for coronavirus patients, keeping in view the future needs.

On the other hand, researchers at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) have launched a clinical trial to assess blood plasma therapy for Covid-19 treatment.

Two persons who have recently recovered from coronavirus donated blood plasma.

"We are grateful to those who have donated their plasma for the noble cause", UHS VC Prof Javed Akram said appealing others to follow suit.

He said that the plasma would be administered to the critically ill patients without any charge. He stated that several COVID-19 patients were cured after receiving transfusion using blood plasma from the people who had recovered from the virus.

Furthermore, the Punjab government has issued new guidelines for the treatment of severe and critical COVID-19 patients to keep the death toll low. Recommended by Corona Experts Advisory Group (CEAG), the guidelines had been sent to all the vice-chancellors of the medical universities, principals of medical colleges and the heads of the teaching and other government hospitals.