No Covid death in 24 hours: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that no death was reported due to coronavirus during the last 24 hours in the province.

The chief minister also said that only 172 new cases were detected among citizens of the province. In a statement issued on Monday, he maintained that the number of active cases stood at 8,697 whereas a total of 81,260 had recovered from Covid-19.

“As many as 699,636 tests were conducted during the aforesaid period of time,” Buzdar stressed.

He further said the steps taken by the government helped overcome the spread of the contagion and the cooperation extended by the people yielded positive results.

Emphasising on the efficacy of smart lockdown coupled with the observance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs), he warned against any SOP violation that could result in resurgence of the virus.

Buzdar appealed to the public to adhere to the rules on Eidul Azha as well as during shopping for sacrificial animals before the festival. “Less socialisation helps curb the virus spread,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (PSHD) put forth on Monday morning that the number of coronavirus cases in the province reached 92,073 after the registration of 172 new cases.

The total number of deaths has flattened at 2,116, he pointed out.

As per the details, Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department reported that 57 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Lahore, 13 in Sargodha, 12 in Gujranwala, 10 in Multan, 10 in Rawalpindi, nine in Dera Ghazi Khan, nine in Bahawalpur, six in Pakpattan, six in Faisalabad, six in Rahim Yar Khan, six in Sialkot, five in Muzaffargarh, two in Vehari and two in Lodharan.

Single cases of coronavirus were detected in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Jehlum, Attock, Narowal, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Toba Tek Singh, Khoshab, Bahawalnagar and Rajanpur districts during the last 24 hours.

The Punjab health department conducted nearly 700,000 tests to ascertain presence of Covid-19 contagion in the suspected victims.

The health department reiterated the importance of protection against the disease by covering the face with mask and washing hands several times in a day.

“Contact the helpline immediately if you experience symptoms of coronavirus,” the PSHD spokesperson requested the citizens.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2020.