Pakistan's coronavirus cases surpass 2,000

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - The number of novel coronavirus cases in Pakistan has risen to 2,007 with more than 150 confirmed in the last 24 hours, officials said Wednesday.

The country’s death toll jumped to 26, while 12 patients are in critical condition.

According to the Federal Health Ministry, the number of confirmed cases rose to 676 in Sindh province, 708 in Punjab province, 253 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 158 in Balochistan province, 148 in the Gilgit-Baltistan autonomous region and 58 in the capital Islamabad, while six cases were confirmed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

More than 80% of the confirmed cases had recently returned from neighboring Iran and Saudi Arabia.

So far, 58 patients have recovered and were discharged from the hospital, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the nationwide lockdown entered its 10th day Wednesday, forcing millions to stay home.

The government has already deployed army troops in all major cities across the country to assist provincial governments and ensure the lockdown.

People are allowed to leave their homes to buy groceries and visit hospitals in emergencies.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 179 countries and regions, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Its data shows the number of confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 859,000, with the death toll over 42,000 and more than 178,000 recoveries.