The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan surpassed 2,000 on Wednesday, indicating an upward trend despite efforts by the government to contain the pandemic.
The Ministry of National Health Services said that 105 new patients tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 2,039.
It showed that the largest provinces of Punjab had 708 cases, Sindh 676, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 253, Balochistan 158, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 184, Islamabad 54 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir 6.
So far, 26 people have died due to the virus and 82 have recovered, while another 12 are in critical condition.
The increase in the number of cases showed that there was little impact of the measures, including partial lockdown, taken so far to reduce the spread of the disease.
Officials in Pakistan are scrambling to contain the disease by appealing to the public to remain inside homes and go out only in cases of emergencies. But there was little impact on the masses and in several cities, people were seen roaming out while security officials were trying to convince them to go back to their places.
Prime Minister Imran Khan would hold a meeting of National Core Committee to discuss steps to contain the deadly virus.
He has already announced Rs 1,200 billion package to deal with the economic challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis.
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