Nationwide tally of coronavirus patients rises to 640

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan rose to 644 after new cases were reported on Saturday from throughout the country.

Sindh remains the worst affected with a total of 292 cases. Part of the surge was attributed to 89 new patients who have tested positive for the virus in Sukkur, the provincial health department said. In Karachi alone, the tally hit 109 (including one death and three recoveries) of which 60 were said to be cases of "local transmission".

In Punjab, according to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, there are 152 coronavirus cases so far. Seventeen new cases were reported late Saturday night, bumping the tally from 137 to 152. 

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department, the number of cases in the province stands at 31 after four new patients were reported in addition to two reported hours earlier. 

Of the earlier two cases reported in the day, both had travelled abroad.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, the total number of cases rose to 55 from the previous total of 30, after 25 new cases were reported in the region.

According to the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, the appointment of information department secretary Fida Hussain has especially been made and he will be the region's only verified source for information pertaining to coronavirus patients.

The Balochistan chief secretary had reported that the confirmed number of cases in the province had reached 104, whereas the premier's aide on health, Dr Zafar Mirza had put the total at 103.

The number of countrywide cases shot up a few hours after Mirza, in a media briefing, had said the total number of cases stand at 534.

“Right now there are 534 cases in the country. There are 104 cases in Punjab, 267 in Sindh and 27 cases in KP,” Mirza had said.

He added there were 103 cases in Balochistan, 30 cases in Giligit Baltistanand one reported cases in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Deaths from COVID-19

A day earlier, Pakistan had recorded its third death from the coronavirus; the first in Sindh.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho had confirmed the death of a 77-year-old COVID-19 patient in the province.

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

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, meaning they contracted the virus from the community.

Earlier this week, two patients from KP who tested positive for the coronavirus had died, officials said. However, both had a travel history in countries that have been hit by the outbreak. The patient from Sindh who passed away on Friday was the first death from local transmission of the virus.

Globally, 185 countries have been affected, more than 10,000 people have died and more than 253,000 infected by the disease as it spreads rapidly to new territories. The epicentre of the outbreak has now shifted to Europe, especially Italy, which is recording a rapid rise in new cases and deaths every day.