Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday called for unity with responsibility to win the war against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
During a speech, PM Khan said, “We need to protect ourselves and others to prove that we are a responsible nation. Do not panic. The government will try its best to control the disease, provide medical facilities and ensure supplies.”
Khan told people to support the government in its efforts against the disease by staying at home to judge themselves, avoiding attending public gatherings, taking other precautionary measures and going for medical checkup only if they have COVID-19 symptoms, according to the media report.
The Prime Minister also urged the people to learn from China in combating the disease and hailed China’s successful efforts to control the virus spread, saying, “At the time when the number of cases are increasing in the world, the affected people are decreasing in China, which is very good news.”
“We are in constant contact with China since the outbreak. China is already helping us, but we need to learn from it even more,” Khan further added.
On Tuesday, Pakistan reported the first coronavirus death, while the number of confirmed cases increased to 193 with the emergence of 10 new infections, the Ministry of National Health Services announced.
According to the Ministry, the victim had recently returned from Iran was brought in a critical condition to the Mayo hospital in Lahore on Monday night.
On Monday, Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho said that there are 76 confirmed cases in Sukkur (all patients arrive from the Pakistan-Iran Taftan border), 26 in Karachi and one in Hyderabad.
The death toll due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China has increased to 3,237, authorities said on Wednesday, while the number of confirmed cases in the Asian country has risen to 80,894.
The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,894 until midnight, including 8,056 patients who were still being treated, 69,601 patients who had been discharged after recovery, and 3,237 people who lost their lives.
The commission said that 119 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus.
The country has closed all public and private educational institutions, marriage halls, cultural centres, cinemas, and cancelled all sports activities and official events and also blocked its western border crossings with Iran and Afghanistan.
Last month, Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus as the deadly infection reached the country despite hectic efforts to keep it away.
Earlier, 76 Indians and 36 foreigners were evacuated from COVID-19 epicentre Wuhan, China and were taken to an ITBP facility in the national capital for quarantine.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has caused alarm as it has crossed global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.
(With inputs from agency)