Command Control Centre confirms 247 coronavirus cases

ISLAMABAD, Mar 18 (APP):The Command and Control Centre, Ministry of National Health Services on Wednesday said the total number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases had reached 247 in the country, with addition of 60 new positive ones.
According to the spokesperson of the centre, 183 cases were in Sindh, 19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15 in Balochistan, seven in Islamabad Capital Territory, 13 in Gilgit-Baltistan, one in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and nine in Punjab.
The 60 new cases were being treated at hospitals, besides old ones while four patients had been discharged after complete recovery. So far no death was reported from any part of the country due to the coronavirus, he added.
According to the data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the travelers screened at points of entry were 20,008 in last 24 hours and total 1,015,909 so far. Total 115 suspected cases were reported from screening at the points of entry.
The National Emergency Operation Centre helpline 1166 received 41,563 calls since January 31, 2020 with 8,136 new calls.
“The federal government, provinces and all stakeholders are working on war footing for safety and well-being of people of Pakistan. All resources are mobilized and measures taken for prevention and mitigation,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza said in a statement.
He advised the citizens to clean hands regularly with an alcohol-based hand rub, or wash them with a soap, besides cleaning surfaces regularly with recommended disinfectants.
He also asked the citizens to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with contaminated hands, and practice respiratory hygiene by coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow or tissue and then immediately dispose off.
He said the citizens should wear a medical or surgical mask if they had respiratory symptoms and perform hand hygiene after disposing off of the mask. He asked to maintain a minimum of mandatory one meter distance from individuals with respiratory symptoms.
He asked the healthcare workers to select and use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). He also asked for ensuring the availability of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) resources such as appropriate infrastructure, clear IPC policies, access to lab testing, triage and patient placement, adequate staff and training of staff at allocated hospital.
He said the environmental and engineering controls aimed at reducing the spread of pathogens and reducing the contamination of surfaces and inanimate objects.