The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Pakistan on 26 February 2020.
The first case in Pakistan happened when a student in Karachi tested positive after returning from Iran. By 18 March, cases had been registered in all four provinces, the two autonomous territories, and the federal territory of Islamabad.[2]
As of 11 May 2020,[update] there have been over 34,300 confirmed cases with 8,812 recoveries and 737 deaths in the country. Punjab has recorded the most cases at over 13,200, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported the most deaths in the country, a total of 245.[1]
The country was put under a nation-wide lockdown until 9 May, which was initiated on 1 April and later extended twice. On 7 May, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced to slowly end lockdown phase from 9 May 2020.[3][4]
According to a report by the federal government, Pakistan could have expected 50,000 cases of the disease by 25 April.[5][6][7] However, the number by then remained under 13,000, less than half of what was expected.[8]
Pakistan started vaccine trials in collaboration with Sinopharm, a Chinese pharmaceutical company in April 2020.[9]
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