The minister said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had expedited its registration process of new drugs being introduced as potential treatments for COVID-19.
A health official wearing protective gear takes the sample of a man at a drive-through screening and testing facility for the COVID-19 coronavirus, alongside a street in Islamabad (Photo: AFP)
Pakistan minister for planning Asad Umar on Thursday said that the government was following a policy of targeted lockdowns to eliminate coronavirus hotpots.
Pakistan’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 3,093 with over 1,60,000 confirmed cases so far.
During a press conference in Islamabad, after chairing the National Command and Operation Center’s (NCOC) meeting, Umar has said all provinces were part of the actions being taken against the virus by the centre.
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“It is our hope that this (targeted lockdowns) will stop the spread and will allow us to flatten the curve,” he said.
The minister said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had expedited its registration process of new drugs being introduced as potential treatments for COVID-19.
He also said that it was decided to provide 2,500 oxygenated beds to the provinces by the end of July.
The COVID-19, which originated in China’s Wuhan city in December last year, has also battered the world economy with the International Monetary Fund saying that the global economy is bound to suffer a “severe recession”.
Scientists are racing against time to find a vaccine or medicine for its treatment.
It further said another 5,358 new cases surfaced in the country over the last 24 hours taking the total tally to 160,118.
So far, 59,215 patients have recovered from the virus in Pakistan. Of all patients, 60,138 are in Punjab, 59,983 in Sindh, 19,613 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9,637 in Islamabad, 8,794 in Balochistan, 1,213 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 740 in Kashmir.
Nearly 10,00,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the country. In the last 24 hours, 31,500 tests have been carried out.
Last Saturday, Former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
PML-N spokesperson Aurangzeb and her mother had also contracted the virus.
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