Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections climb to 445,977 against 388,598 recoveries and 9,010 deaths, leaving 48,369 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 2,731 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,028 tests—a positivity ratio of 7.18 percent. The country reported 105 deaths in 24 hours, the highest single-day toll since the peak of the first wave of the pandemic in June.
The government has decided to allow the private sector to procure COVID-19 vaccines, according to Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr. Nausheen Hamid. She said private companies would be allowed to independently purchase the vaccine before it reaches the general market, adding that the firms would have to register with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan so rates for the vaccines could be properly determined.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 75,303, with daily testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which studies suggest comprise the majority of infections nationwide.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 445,977 (Tests: 6,136,799)
Punjab – 128,673
Sindh – 198,482
Balochistan – 17,796
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 53,253
Islamabad – 35,203
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,799
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 7,771
Deaths – 9,010
Recoveries – 388,598
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 445,977. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 105 to 9,010. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,265 to 388,598, or 87.1 percent of total infections. There are currently 48,369 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,510 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 30 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 3,452. The province now has 128,673 confirmed cases; it reported 535 new infections after conducting 16,931 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.16 percent. There were 126 new recoveries recorded, leaving 115,424 fully recovered, and 9,797 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 198,482; it reported 1,520 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 10,289 tests, a positivity ratio of 14.77 percent. The province reported 58 new deaths, raising toll to 3,222, while its recoveries rose by 1,176 to 169,385. Overall, the province now has 25,875 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 466 new infections after conducting 4,134 tests, a positivity ratio of 11.27 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 53,253. It recorded 12 new deaths, raising toll to 1,489, while its recoveries have risen by 545 to 46,895. There are currently 4,869 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 17,796 with 25 new infections after conducting 506 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.94 percent. There was 1 death and 96 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 176 fatalities and 17,188 fully recovered. There are now 432 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 158 to 35,203 after conducting 5,375 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.94 percent. There were 2 deaths and 219 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 379 casualties; 28,699 recovered; and 6,125 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday increased by 6 to 4,799 after conducting 374 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.6 percent. The region reported no deaths and 20 recoveries, leaving 99 fatalities and 4,603 fully recovered people. There are currently 97 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 21 to 7,771 after conducting 419 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.01 percent. There were 83 recoveries and 2 new deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 193 fatalities and 6,404 fully recovered. It now has 1,174 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 73,806,598 people, with over 1,641,635 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 51,816,744 patients of the 73.8 million+ infected have recovered thus far.