Pakistan's coronavirus death tally rises to 3 as total infected cross 500

Pakistan recorded its third death from the coronavirus on Friday, with the nationwide tally crossing 500 after new cases were reported from Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.

With the rise in the number of cases, the total number of cases in GB stood at 30, in Sindh at 252, in Punjab at 96 and in Balochistan at 92.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho Friday morning confirmed the death of a 77-year-old COVID-19 patient in the province. The confirmation takes the total number of virus deaths in Pakistan to three.

The minister said the patient was a cancer survivor and had diabetes and hypertension when he contracted the virus. She added that the patient did not have any travel or contact history.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar confirmed that Punjab has reported 16 new cases of the coronavirus in the province taking the provincial tally 96. 

The CM said that 71 of those cases were found in the pilgrims returning from Iran, 15 from Lahore, two in Multan, three in Muzaffargarh, three in Gujrat and one each in Jhelum and Rawalpindi.

Earlier this week, two patients from KP who tested positive for the coronavirus had died, officials said. The patient from Sindh who passed away today was the first death from local transmission of the virus.

Sindh remains the most affected province in the outbreak, with 238 confirmed cases of the virus. Punjab has 96, KP has 23, Balochistan 81, Islamabad 7, and GB has 21 confirmed cases. 

Globally, 176 countries have been affected, more than 9,700 people have died and more than 234,000 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories. The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases every day.