ISLAMABAD: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has soared to 15,759 and death toll to 346 on Thursday.

According to the National Command and Operation Center, the infection cases include 6,061 cases in Punjab, 5,695 in Sindh, 2,313 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 978 in Balochistan, 333 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 313 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 66 in Azad Kashmir.

4,052 patients have so far been recovered while 99 are in critical condition.

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Talking to Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on telephone to discuss the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 response, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Apr 29 said Pakistan was making all efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic with a robust and coordinated response.

The prime minister emphasized that Pakistan was facing a dual challenge of overcoming the pandemic and saving people, particularly the most vulnerable segments of the population, from hunger due to lockdown.

He underlined that the government had put together an eight billion dollar package to support the affected people and businesses.

Imran Khan appreciated the support provided by the Gates Foundation and other international partners during this unprecedented crisis and emphasized the continued urgency of the situation.

Speaking on the occasion, Bill Gates commended Pakistan’s efforts in protecting the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable populations.

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Bill Gates also discussed their shared priority of polio eradication and it was noticed that polio teams are supporting the training of frontline polio health workers on COVID-19, and using contact tracing, testing and communications methods to curb transmission.

In the context of the Coronavirus pandemic, they also discussed that routine immunization programs for children especially polio vaccination cannot be ignored.