Courtesy PID
With 1,800 new cases recorded in past 24 hours, confirmed infections have hit 523,011, against 476,471 recoveries, leaving 35,485 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday recorded 1,800 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 36,513 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.93 percent.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Monday approved for emergency use China’s Sinopharm vaccine—the second coronavirus vaccine to have been approved by authorities after it had backed the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine last week. Despite the approvals, Pakistan has yet to finalize any orders for the vaccine, with citizens still left in the dark on when the country’s vaccination rollout would commence.
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 – 523,011 (Tests: 7,442,084)
Punjab – 150,316
Sindh – 236,530
Balochistan – 18,622
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 63,825
Islamabad – 40,177
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,887
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,654
Deaths – 11,055
Recoveries – 476,471
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 523,011. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 58 to 11,055. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,243 to 476,471, or 91.1 percent of total infections. There are currently 35,485 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,341 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 28 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,460. The province now has 150,316 confirmed cases; it reported 534 new infections after conducting 13,151 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.06 percent. There were 353 new recoveries recorded, leaving 134,842 fully recovered, and 11,014 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 236,530; it reported 954 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 10,600 tests, a positivity ratio of 9 percent. The province reported 20 new deaths, raising toll to 3,813, while its recoveries rose by 607 to 214,231. Overall, the province now has 18,486 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 210 new infections after conducting 6,075 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.46 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 63,825. It recorded 8 new deaths, raising toll to 1,791, while its recoveries have risen by 108 to 58,348. There are currently 3,686 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,622 with 10 new infections after conducting 259 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.86 percent. There were no deaths and 10 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 190 fatalities and 18,110 fully recovered. There are now 322 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 66 to 40,177 after conducting 5,826 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.13 percent. There were no deaths and 132 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 457 casualties; 38,046 recovered; and 1,674 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 350 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.86 percent; it now has 4,887 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,756 fully recovered people. There are currently 30 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 23 to 8,654 after conducting 252 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.13 percent. There were 2 deaths and 33 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 243 fatalities and 8,138 fully recovered. It now has 273 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 96,009,720 people, with over 2,049,348 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 68,629,984 patients of the 96 million+ infected have recovered thus far.