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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,243,385, against 1,167,189 recoveries and 27,690 deaths, leaving 48,506 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 1,560 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 48,836 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.2 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center on Tuesday decided to expand the eligible age groups for coronavirus vaccinations, lowering the minimum age to 12. “In today’s NCOC meeting, decided to start vaccination of all 12 years and older,” Planning Minister Asad Umar announced on Twitter. “[A] special drive will be run for vaccination at schools to make it easier for children to be vaccinated,” he added. Following the decision, all Pakistanis aged 12 and above are eligible for free coronavirus vaccinations at designated government centers.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,243,385 (Tests: 19,333,471)
Punjab – 430,353
Sindh – 456,897
Balochistan – 32,888
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 173,548
Islamabad – 105,287
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,311
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,101
Deaths – 27,690
Recoveries – 1,167,189
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,243,385. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 52 to 27,690. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,970 to 1,167,189, or 93.9 percent of total infections. There are currently 48,506 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 3,948 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 20 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 12,595. The province now has 430,353 confirmed cases; it reported 698 new infections after administering 17,800 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.92 percent. There were 1,157 new recoveries recorded, leaving 399,372 fully recovered, and 18,386 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 456,897; it reported 554 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 14,781 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.7 percent. The province reported 18 deaths, raising toll to 7,379, while its recoveries rose by 1,314 to 427,607. Overall, the province now has 21,911 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Wednesday reported 195 new cases after administering 10,012 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.9 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 173,548. It recorded 11 new deaths and 299 recoveries, raising toll to 5,525 and recoveries to 163,109. There are currently 4,914 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 32,888 with 13 new infections after administering 906 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.4 percent. There were no deaths and 23 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 348 fatalities and 32,368 fully recovered. There are now 172 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 70 to 105,287 after conducting 4,305 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.6 percent. There were 3 deaths and 85 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 922 casualties; 102,104 recovered; and 2,261 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday reported 3 new cases after administering 299 tests, a positivity ratio of 1 percent; it currently has 10,311 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 184 fatalities; 9,931 fully recovered people; and 196 active cases of COVID-19.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 27 to 34,101 after conducting 733 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.7 percent. There were no deaths and 92 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 737 fatalities and 32,698 fully recovered. It now has 666 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 233,558,660 people, with over 4,778,872 reported deaths. After having passed through multiple waves of the pandemic, the world is divided between countries that are either in the midst of new waves driven by mutated variants, or have launched mass vaccination drives that are allowing them to reopen safely. There are mounting calls, including from the World Health Organization, for “vaccine equality,” i.e. for developed nations to stop hoarding vaccines in excess of their requirements and to share them with the developing world to help curb the spread of new mutated variants, especially the Delta variant that is now driving the bulk of confirmed infections globally. Overall, around 210,386,345 patients of the 233.6 million+ infected have recovered thus far.