Over 670,000 may be infected with COVID-19 in Lahore: Survey report

LAHORE: A survey report sent to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has estimated more than 670,000 could be affected by the COVID-19 in Lahore.

In the summary, Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman, Secretary, Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department said that the synopsis forwarded to the chief minister on 15 May contained results of samples collected from hotspots, offices and residences in the province.

As per the summary, six percent of the total samples collected tested positive for coronavirus. In some municipalities, samples’ results showed that 14.7% of the samples came back with positive results. The report said that there wasn’t a single area in Lahore or where the infection had not reached.

According to report, members of the Technical Working Group who conducted the survey in the province by collecting samples to gauge how fast the disease can spread in the city— have recommended imposing a complete lockdown in the city for four weeks.

Technical Working Group representative also recommended quarantining persons aged above 50 years. The group has also advised the government to declare it crucial for people to stay inside their homes and not venture out unnecessarily.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surged to 72,460 in Pakistan today, while the death toll stands at 1,543.

Pakistan has reported its highest numbers of COVID-19 deaths and infections in a single day since the pandemic struck the South Asian nuclear state in March, prompting health experts to call for a strict lockdown to contain it.

According to the Health Ministry, a record of 3,039 new cases and 88 deaths from the disease have been reported in the country over the past 24 hours.

The country has recorded 223 deaths in the past three days, and over 8,000 new infections, with health experts warning of a steep rise in the number of cases in the coming days.

As per details, 21 percent of the cases have foreign travel history while 79 percent of the cases are reported to be locally transmitted.

There have been 26,240 cases so far been detected in Punjab, 28,245 in Sindh, 10,027 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,393 in Balochistan, 2,589 in Islamabad, 711 in Gilgit Baltistan and 255 in Azad Kashmir.

Out of a total of 1,543 deaths, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 473 deaths, Sindh 481, Balochistan 47, Gilgit-Baltistan 11, Punjab 497, Azad Kashmir 06 and Islamabad Capital Territory has reported 28 deaths.