LAHORE – The number of coronavirus death tolls in the country rose to 21 on Monday, while the number of COVID-19 cases reached 1,650, according to the health official.
Four new fatalities were reported in the Punjab and Sindh provinces, and the northern Gilgit Baltistan region, State Minister for Health Zafar Mirza said.
Mirza said, “so far, seven people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in Sindh, six in Punjab, five in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, two in Gilgit Baltistan, and one in Balochistan”.
There is a total of 1,650 COVID-19 confirmed patients in Pakistan, out of which, 783 are under treatment in hospitals, with 10 of them in critical condition, according to the minister.
“So far, 28 patients have completely recovered and been discharged from hospitals”, the minister informed.
He said and added most of the patients in the hospital were recovering well and will soon be sent home.
Pakistan could soon move towards the partial resumption of international flights, another government official said at the news conference.
On March 21, Islamabad suspended all international flights until April 4 as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“The government is considering the possibility of partially resuming international flights from April 5,” said Moeed Yusuf, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security.
Rebutting local media reports, he said only a partial resumption was on the cards and there was no chance of international flights being fully restored.
Since first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 177 countries and regions, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
738,000 cases have been reported worldwide so far, with the death toll above 35,000, and over 156,000 recoveries.