Number of cases expected to rise to 50,000 by April 25, govt tells Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The government submitted on Saturday to the Supreme Court of Pakistan a report on its national action plan for combating the coronavirus epidemic spreading across the country.

In its report, the government detailed the situation arising in the wake of the pandemic and the severity of suspected cases.

“By April 25, the number of the coronavirus cases are feared to reach 50,000,” the report stated at one point.

According to the breakdown provided in the report, around 7,000 cases of the total are expected to be critical in nature while around 2,500 could be a cause for concern. The government estimates that a further 41,000 cases could be of a mild nature.

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The report notes that confirmed cases are expected to be lower than that of countries in Europe, and assures that the government is trying to maximize its testing capacity.

The federal government has said that it has put in place an emergency plan costing $366 million and guidelines have been prepared in consultation from the medical experts.

“All the airports have special counters to monitor coronavirus,” it mentions in the report, adding that around 222 suspected patients have been traced thanks to entry and exit point checking at airports.

The areas adjacent to Iran and along the Balochistan border have declared an emergency to cope with incoming infected individuals, it says.

“Preparations were made to place patients in 154 districts under quarantine,” said the government report.

As of Saturday, Pakistan has recorded more than 2,700 cases and 40 deaths.