April proving to be cruel month as coronavirus deaths pile up in Pakistan

• April proving to be deadly month for Pakistan, with over 2,400 deaths reported so far.
  
• 32.5 % of the total fatalities were of patients on ventilators, shows NCOC data.
  
• Out of 144 new fatalities reported today, 57 had been on ventilators.
  

April has been cruel to Pakistan, with over 2,400 deaths already reported so far in the month, with a week still left to go. 

As the third wave of coronavirus intensifies across the country, Pakistan today reported the highest number of deaths of patients on ventilators during the ongoing month.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), out of 144 new fatalities reported today, 57 had been on ventilators.

On average this month, 32.5% of all fatalities, or 784 cases, involved patients who had been moved to ventilators for life support.

On average, a Pakistani citizen has died every 15 minutes this month. 

Moreover, 296 people on ventilators lost their lives to the virus during the past week alone.

There are still 562 patients on ventilators across the country, according to NCOC data.

Read more: Pakistan reports 144 new coronavirus deaths amid alarming virus surge

The situation is reaching critical levels in some cities. According to a city-wise breakdown, 88% of ventilators in Gujranwala, 85% in Multan, 82% in Lahore, and 65% of ventilators in Mardan are occupied.

The country reported 144 new coronavirus deaths on Friday, raising the total death tally to 16,842 nationwide.

According to the latest data by the National Command and Operation Centre on its official web portal, 5,870 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the preceding 24 hour period.