PMA expresses concern over rapid spread of Covid-19; demands extension in lockdown.

LAHORE -- Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), while expressing grave concern over the rapid spread of coronavirus in medics, paramedics and the general public, on Tuesday demanded extension in the lockdown. While addressing a press conference here at PMA House, the PMA office-bearers, including Dr Ashraf Nizami, Dr Izhar Chaudhry, Dr Shahid Malik, Dr Azimuddin Zahid, Dr Salman Kazmi, and Dr Wajid Ali informed that as many as 509 medical professionals had contracted the virus, including 263 doctors (52 percent), 171 paramedics (33 percent) and 75 nurses (15 percent), adding the numbers were continuously rising. 'The medical professionals are the frontline soldiers in country's fight against coronavirus,' they said, and warned that any harm to the frontline of defence against the pandemic would spell disaster in the country.

In Pakistan, presently, there are 21,501 confirmed COVID19 patients, and 486 had perished so far. In Punjab, the cases are 8,103, while there are 7,882 cases in Sindh, 2,321 in Balochistan, 3,288 in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, 464 in Islamabad, 71 in Azad Kashmir and 372 in Gilgit Baltistan.

In the last 24 hours alone, a total of 1,315 new COVID19 patients and 24 deaths have been confirmed across the country.

In Pakistan, as many as 222,404 tests have been conducted so far, including 9,857 tests in the last 24 hours.

The PMA office-bearers, while presenting their suggestions, demanded the government provide WHO-standard personal protective equipment (PPEs), including N-95 marks and other supplies, to all medical professionals. They also demanded the government increase the capacity and accelerate the process of testing as per WHO-recommendations.

They urged the government to implement the policy of home isolation for coronavirus patients in Punjab as Speaker National Assembly, who got infected by the virus, had...