Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) after it spread to 114 countries. Pakistan is also among those countries which were affected by the disease and tried to contain the spread through a combination of limited testing, emergency in health sector and lockdown.
The response of Pakistani government was different, initially when the outbreak started in China the federal government denied entry to Pakistani citizens from China but later when similar threat arose from Iran, citizens were allowed to enter the country.
Coronavirus Cases:
The first two official cases of coronavirus in Pakistan were confirmed on February 26, 2020 and both were pilgrims from Iran. Within days more cases were identified and soon coronavirus cases were identified in all territories of Pakistan.
The official statistics of patients, deaths and recovery is follows:
| Status | Numbers |
| Confirmed Cases | 1,925 |
| Deaths | 26 |
| Recovered | 58 |
The breakup for different provinces is as follows:
| Area | Numbers |
| Sindh | 676 |
| Punjab | 658 |
| Balochistan | 158 |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 221 |
| Islamabad | 58 |
| Gilgit Baltistan | 148 |
| Azad Kashmir | 6 |
Check this map to know the areas where coronavirus cases have been detected so far:
The cases are increasing by each passing day but still it seems to be contained in comparison with countries such as China, USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Iran and France.
Despite widespread outbreaks in many countries there are also other countries that recorded no official or confirmed coronavirus cases.
Testing Services:
The facility for testing of coronavirus is limited in Pakistan with only few government and private hospitals offering it. If you
Sindh:
- Chandka Medical College Hospital (Larkana)
- Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College (Sukkur)
- Peoples Medical University Hospital (Nawabshah)
- Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre – JPMC (Karachi)
- Civil Hospital (Karachi)
- Aga Khan University Hospital – AKUH (Karachi)
- Lyari General Hospital (Karachi)
- Dow University of Health Sciences – DUHS Ojha (Karachi)
- Indus Hospital (Karachi)
Punjab:
- Services Hospital (Lahore)
- Benazir Hospital (Rawalpindi)
- Nishtar Hospital (Multan)
Azad Kashmir:
- Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (Muzaffarabad)
- Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan Hospital (Muzaffarabad)
- Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayan Hospital (Rawalakot)
- District Headquarters Hospital (Kotli)
- Divisional Headquarters Hospital (Mirpur)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK):
- Police Services Hospital
Gilgit Baltistan:
Citizens are required to contact district health authority and sample will be collected from home
These are the hospitals and institutes that should be visited by potential cases of coronavirus in case of emergency. In some cities, private laboratories are also offering the screening and testing service for COVID-19.
WhatsApp Helpline:
A WhatsApp Helpline was also launched by the government of Pakistan under their Digital Pakistan program which will provide information regarding the epidemic in 7 languages which include:
- English
- Urdu
- Punjabi
- Pushto
- Sindhi
- Balochi
- Kashmiri
To get updates, details about risk assessment and nearest labs simply write Hi and send it to 0300-1111166.
Lockdowns:
To contain the spread of coronavirus provincial governments & other territories in Pakistan launched lockdown, mostly for two weeks. Prime Minister refused to impose lockdown or curfew citing economic hardships but said that if the disease continues to spread like Europe then he will also be forced to opt for more strict actions.
Currently, the lockdown period of different areas is as follows:
| Territory | Start | End |
| Azad Kashmir | 24 March, 2020 | 13 April, 2020 |
| Balochistan | 24 March , 2020 | 7 April, 2020 |
| Sindh | 24 March, 2020 | 7 April, 2020 |
| Gilgit-Baltistan | 22 March, 2020 | - |
| Punjab | 24 March, 2020 | 6 April, 2020 |
The government also launched an economic relief package not only for daily wagers but also for exporters and industrialists who were facing problems due to the restrictions.
On 26th March different provincial extended the lockdown to mosques and banned prayers in Masajid. While many scholars differed with this opinion others recommended people to offer congregation prayers in home.
