Pakistan to receive medical supplies from China as coronavirus cases rise to 4,892

Pakistan is set to receive more medical supplies from China to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The COVID-19 cases have sharply increased to 4,892 and death toll reached 71.

The Ministry of National Health Services reported that five patients died of coronavirus in the last 24 hours.

According to the data, the worst-hit Punjab province reported 2,336 COVID-19 patients, Sindh 1,318, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 656, Balochistan 220, Gilgit-Baltistan 215, Islamabad 113 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) 34.

At least 61 doctors and paramedics at a major healthcare centre in PoK's Muzaffarabad were placed in quarantine after a 65-year-old asymptomatic patient being treated there for some other chronic ailments tested positive.

To circumvent this, a special plane of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) will arrive from its all-weather ally China later Saturday with more medical supplies. It is the second plane to arrive in two days.

The special plane is slated to carry 50 donated ventilators, equipment and PPEs.

Earlier on March 27, the Khunjerab pass between Pakistan and China was opened for a day to receive Chinese medical supplies.

Authorities in Pakistan have so far conducted 57,836 tests, including 2,457 in the last one day.

In addition, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday chaired a meeting with officials to discuss ways to bring back about 40,000 Pakistanis stranded in various countries.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned the people to follow official guidelines on self-isolation or the virus would spread further.

The government has also re-imposed a ban on the export of all anti-malaria drugs, four days after withdrawing the ban on the export of these drugs.

(with inputs from agencies)