LAHORE: With 2,705 fresh cases detected across the province in the last 24 hours, Punjab has become the first province in the country where the number of the coronavirus cases has crossed the 50,000 mark.

According to government's Covid-19 portal, the total number of corona cases across the province has risen to 50,087 till the filing of this report on Saturday. After 48 more deaths due to coronavirus, the total number of fatalities in the province has reached 938.

Over 3.3 million tests of coronavirus have so far been conducted across the province. In Lahore, 971 fresh corona positive cases were reported with 14 more causalities.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the provincial metropolis has reached 23,800 with 314 deaths so far. Around 750 coronavirus patients are under treatment at different hospitals in the city. Out of them 183 are in the ICUs while around 115 on ventilators, sources said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in the provincial metropolis, is learnt to have held a meeting on coronavirus and directed authorities concerned to further tighten the implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in Lahore.

Expressing his concerns over surge in corona cases, the premier directed the officials to take strict action against the violators of the SOPs.

"People must wear masks, maintain social distancing and take other precautions," the prime minister was quoted to have said, adding: "Chief Minister Usman Buzdar is governing Punjab with a wonderful team in a good manner."

On the other hand, sources claimed that the Punjab government has allowed use of vials of Tucilizumab injection on 115 Covid-19 patients in the intensive care units for the purpose of treatment as well as an "investigational study".

The drug will be administered to the patients at the 15 teaching hospitals in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi which are in red zone after the highest number of virus cases.