ISLAMABAD: The number of known coronavirus related deaths in Pakistan reached 107 on Wednesday, while the number of confirmed infection cases has soared to nearly 6,000.
The actual number in the country of 210 million people is likely to be much higher, as according to Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Pakistan has been conducting only 800 COVID-19 tests a day.
Pakistan’s most heavily populated Punjab province reported the highest number of cases at 2,945, according to official data.
The second highest number of virus cases are reported in Sindh at 1518. The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan reported 865 while the country’s largest province by area, Balochistan, has 240 reported cases. The number of reported cases in Gilgit-Baltistan is 234, 140 in Islamabad, and 46 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The country is going to increase its daily coronavirus testing capacity to 25,000 by the end of April, the minister said after the National Coordination Committee’s meeting on Monday.
Pakistan has been in partial lockdown for more than three weeks to control the spread of the disease. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced its extension until April 30.
Government has relaxed restrictions on some industries to allow them to resume their work but all educational institutions, shopping malls are shut down. Inter-city transport, railways and domestic air operations also remain suspended.
On Monday, the Ministry of Interior extended for another two weeks the closure of the country’s eastern border — with India — and western borders — with Iran and Afghanistan.
Two border crossings, in Torkham and Chaman, remain open three days a week, allowing cargo trucks to cross over to Afghanistan.
