ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has expressed the confidence that Pakistan will be able to conduct 25,000 Tests for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) per day by the end of April 2020.
While addressing a media briefing along with the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Health Services Dr. Zafar Mirza in Islamabad on Tuesday, Asad Umar said that Pakistan has now capacity of conducting 3,000 Coronavirus Tests per day in 18 functional laboratories across the Country.
The federal minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to provide all-out facilities to paramedical staff engaged in treatment of Coronavirus-hit patients across the Country.
Asad Umar said that the federal government has provided 39,500 personal protective kits to the provinces so far while further medical equipment including ventilators, will be provided directly to the hospitals from April 9.
The minister expressed resolve that the government is spending Rs 40 billion to provide edibles to people at the utilities stores in the Country.
Dr. Zafar Mirza informed that overall 4,004 positive cases of Coronavirus have emerged in the Country with Islamabad 83, Punjab 2,004, Sindh 932, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 500, Balochistan 202, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 18 and Gilgit Baltistan 211.
The Special Assistant further said that 429 patients have recovered so far, 54 patients have died while 28 are in critical condition, who needed ventilators for survival.
Dr. Zafar Mirza said that during the last 24 hours, 3,088 tests were conducted, out of which 577 cases were declared positive while four persons died due to this pandemic.
Separate in a Twitter statement, Dr. Zafar Mirza said that Pakistan plans to increase its daily testing capacity for the Coronavirus to 20,000 in the coming days.
Dr. Zafar Mirza said that currently, Pakistan has the capacity to carry out 6,584 Coronavirus Tests per day.
Pakistan plans to increase its daily testing capacity for #coronavirus to 20000 in coming days. Currently it is 6584/day. <276>
— Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) April 7, 2020
