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Confirmed cases rise to 547,648, against 502,537 recoveries and 11,746 deaths, leaving 33,365 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday recorded 1,220 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,813 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.14 percent.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while answering the public’s questions via telephone on Monday, stressed that the coronavirus vaccines would be made available to everyone as soon as possible, adding that the government would not prioritize the rich over the poor. “We will try to cover as many people as possible,” he said.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 57,531, with daily testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan’s testing policies only record the most symptomatic patients—a belief substantiated by a Punjab government official as the “most efficient use of resources”—while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which studies suggest comprise the majority of infections nationwide.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 547,648 (Tests: 8,005,794)
Punjab – 158,220
Sindh – 247,727
Balochistan – 18,830
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 67,419
Islamabad – 41,493
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,909
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 9,050
Deaths – 11,746
Recoveries – 502,537
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 547,648. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 63 to 11,746. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,285 to 502,537, or 91.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,365 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,881 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 46 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,793. The province now has 158,220 confirmed cases; it reported 424 new infections after conducting 14,879 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.85 percent. There were 663 new recoveries recorded, leaving 143,652 fully recovered, and 9,775 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 247,727; it reported 478 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 10,355 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.62 percent. The province reported 8 new deaths, raising toll to 4,004, while its recoveries rose by 319 to 224,983. Overall, the province now has 18,740 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 205 new infections after conducting 6,296 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.26 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 67,419. It recorded 6 new deaths, raising toll to 1,912, while its recoveries have risen by 152 to 62,537. There are currently 2,970 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,830 with 7 new infections after conducting 424 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.65 percent. There was 1 death and 18 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 196 fatalities and 18,497 fully recovered. There are now 137 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 75 to 41,493 after conducting 6,171 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.21 percent. There were no deaths and 114 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 475 casualties; 39,676 recovered; and 1,342 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 361 tests; it has 4,909 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 1 recovery, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,788 fully recovered people. There are currently 19 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 31 to 9,050 after conducting 327 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.48 percent. There were 2 deaths and 18 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 264 fatalities and 8,404 fully recovered. It now has 382 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 103,931,497 people, with over 2,247,715 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now reeling from a second wave of the coronavirus, with many countries imposing fresh lockdowns or targeted closures in a bid to curb its spread ahead of mass distribution of vaccines. Overall, around 75,730,244 patients of the 103.9 million+ infected have recovered thus far.