Islamuddin Sajid
22 April 2020•Update: 22 April 2020
ISLAMABAD
More than 1,000 people have now died of COVID-19 in the eight countries that make up South Asia.
According to data from online resource Worldometer, 84 fatalities were reported in member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on Tuesday, raising the collective death toll to 1,021.
The overall case count reached 35,297 after 2,605 new cases were confirmed, mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
The COVID-19 situation in SAARC countries as of Tuesday:
| Country Name | Total cases | New cases | Total deaths | New deaths | Recovered | Total tests |
| India | 20,178 | 1,520 | 645 | 53 | 3,976 | 462,621 |
| Pakistan | 9,749 | 533 | 209 | 17 | 2,156 | 118,020 |
| Bangladesh | 3,772
| 390 | 120 | 10 | 92 | 32630 |
| Afghanistan | 1,143 | 117 | 40 | 4 | 150 | 6,422 |
| Sri Lanka | 321 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 104 | 7,393 |
| Nepal | 42 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8,773 |
| Bhutan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8,765 |
| Maldives | 86 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 4,139 |
| TOTAL | 35,297 | 2,605 | 1,021 | 84 | 6,501 | 648,763 |
Source: Worldometer
India is the region’s worst-hit country, with its cases crossing 20,000 on Tuesday.
A total of 1,520 new cases raised the total to 20,178, while 53 fatalities brought the death toll to 645 – meaning 3.2% of India’s COVID-19 patients have died.
On Wednesday, the Indian government decided to amend a 123-year- old law to implement strict measures against harassment and attacks on health care workers.
The decision was taken in the wake of rising violence against medical workers involved in India’s fight against COVID-19.
According to local broadcaster NDTV, attacks on medical workers will be a non-bailable offense under the amended law and convicts will face jail terms of six months to seven years.
Cases in neighboring Pakistan reached 9,749 on Tuesday, while 17 fatalities raised the death toll to 209 – meaning 2.1% of its COVID-19 patients have died.
Among the four SAARC countries with over 1,000 cases, India has the highest number of recoveries – 3,976 – and is followed by Pakistan (2,156), Afghanistan (150), and Bangladesh (92).
Of these four countries, Pakistan still has the highest percentage – around 22.1% – of recoveries to cases, followed by India (19.7%), Afghanistan (13.1%), and Bangladesh with lowest rate of 2.4%.
Bhutan was the only country in the region with no new case or death on Tuesday, while Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives reported new cases but no fatalities.
According to Worldometer data, the novel coronavirus has spread to 210 countries and territories since emerging in China last December, with the U.S. and Europe the hardest-hit areas in the world.
Almost 2.6 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll nearing 180,000 and over 705,000 recoveries.
