Pakistan’s coronavirus tally rises to 990 as Punjab reports new cases

Pakistan’s total number of coronavirus cases surged to 990 after Punjab reported nearly 30 new cases late Tuesday night.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in a tweet said: “I can confirm that currently there are 296 positive cases of #COVID19 in Punjab.”

“65 are in Lahore, 20 in Gujrat, Gujranwala 8, Jhelum 16, Rawalpindi 2, Multan 3, Faisalabad 2, Mandibahuddin 1, Narowal 1, RYK 1, Sargodha 1 and DGK quarantine have 176 cases,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the province registered its first death from the virus.

According to provincial Health Minister Yasmin Rashid, the patient was a 57-year-old admitted to Mayo Hospital. She repeated appeals for the public to stay indoors and avoid spreading the virus any further.

Sindh remains the worst affected province by the coronavirus in the country so far, with a total of 410 coronavirus cases. In Karachi alone, the numbers of cases of the virus are 144, with the majority said to be cases of "local transmission".

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, the number of cases in the province stands at 78 after 40 new cases were reported today, while the number of reported cases in Gilgit-Baltistan is 80.

Balochistan has reported 110 cases, while one case has been reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In Islamabad, 15 patients have been confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The country has also reported seven deaths from the virus, with Balochistan reporting its first death on Sunday. Balochistan government's spokesperson, Liaquat Shahwani confirmed the province's first death from the virus in a tweet.

The deceased was a 65-year-old man, under treatment at the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, according to Shahwani.