Pakistan: COVID-19 cases top 17,000, deaths near 400

By Behlul Cetinkaya

ANKARA (AA) – The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan passed 17,000 and the death toll moved close to 400 on Friday.

The Health Ministry said 1,322 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, raising the overall case count to 17,439.

A total of 33 fatalities across the country raised the death toll to 391, the ministry said.

Overall, 4,315 patients have recovered since Pakistan’s first COVID-19 case was reported on Feb. 26, the ministry added.

More than 3.25 million people in 187 countries and regions have been infected since the virus emerged in China last December, with the US and Europe the hardest-hit areas in the world.

A significant number of COVID-19 patients – over 1.05 million – have recovered, but the disease has also claimed over 235,000 lives so far, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University in the US.