Islamabad: A lawyer appearing on behalf of some lecturers caused alarm in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday when he disclosed that he had COVID-19.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed was presiding over the bench that was hearing his case. As the lawyer appeared on the rostrum, he startled the court by revealing that he was COVID-19-positive but he had to appear as his application for postponing the hearing had been turned down by the court.
“I had sent an application that I had tested positive therefore my case should be postponed but they dismissed my plea. Therefore, I had to come in person,” submitted Barrister Dr Adnan.
His reply annoyed the chief justice and he snubbed the lawyer saying he was playing with the lives of those present in the courtroom. The chief justice later directed the lawyer to submit his arguments in written form and leave the courtroom at once.
Around 100 paramedics test positive
Pakistan’s coronavirus cases on Wednesday crossed 382,000 with 3,009 infections reported in the last 24 hours.
The number of deaths during this period rose to 59, taking the COVID-19 toll to 7,803 in the country.
Ministry of the National Health Services record shows that so far 98 doctors and paramedics have lost their lives countrywide due to the pandemic. More than 10,000 healthcare workers have been infected by the deadly coronavirus.
According to the Johns Hopkins University, Pakistan is the 28th most adversely impacted country by the pandemic in terms of cases.
COVID-19 cases in Pakistan have picked up pace, as health officials warn of a second wave gripping the country.
Islamabad’s daily count reveals over 400 cases
According to Islamabad’s health department, the federal capital’s hospitals have reached maximum bed occupancy rate as for the last eight days, more than 400 tests were being reported every day.
We are now asking coronavirus patients to quarantine at home, said a senior doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
COVID-19 treatment facility launched in Karachi
Meanwhile, Karachi’s Administrator Iftikhar Ali Shallwani inaugurated COVID-19 treatment and research facility at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) of the city.
The ASH is the third largest hospital of the city being run by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
The new treatment facility has a 120-bed isolation ward and a high dependency unit. The hospital also has the facility of 25 ventilators to treat the critical cases of coronavirus. The ASH also provides free of charge COVID-19 testing facility for citizens of Karachi.
