File photo
Confirmed infections rise to 327,063 against 310,101 recoveries and 6,727 deaths, leaving 10,235 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday recorded 847 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 31,009 tests—a positivity ratio of 2.73 percent. After nearly two months, the country’s active cases have once again exceeded 10,000, a worrying sign of the virus’ spread.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday warned of a “consistent” increase in Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity ratio, virus-related deaths, and hospital admissions. It noted that Muzaffarabad, Hyderabad, Karachi and Gilgit-Baltistan had the highest positivity in the past week, and urged authorities to ensure SOP compliance to avoid another lockdown.
Pakistan is currently in the midst of what health authorities have warned could be a second wave of the virus. Daily infections and deaths are once more on the rise, raising fears that disease is making a comeback as the public becomes more apathetic toward social distancing measures. Meanwhile, the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 72,232 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to WHO, Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which recent studies have suggested comprise the majority of infections in the country.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 327,063 (Tests: 4,235,329)
Punjab – 102,467
Sindh – 143,222
Balochistan – 15,791
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 38,923
Islamabad – 18,764
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,148
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 3,748
Deaths – 6,727
Recoveries – 310,101
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 327,063. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 12 to 6,727. At the same time, recoveries increased by 455 to 310,101, or 94.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 10,235 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 586 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 5 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,334. The province raised its confirmed cases to 102,467 with 214 new infections after conducting 9,738 tests. Meanwhile, its recoveries have increased by 15 to 97,316. There are now 2,817 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Saturday rose by 305 to 143,222 after conducting 10,261 tests. The province reported 3 deaths, raising toll to 2,594, while its recoveries rose by 254 to 136,356. Overall, the province now has 4,272 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Saturday reported 1 death, raising toll to 1,268. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 35 to 37,177 while its confirmed cases have increased by 37 to 38,923 after conducting 3,999 tests. The province currently has 478 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province has raised its confirmed cases to 15,791 with 24 new infections after conducting 914 tests. There were no new deaths and 4 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining fatalities at 148 and raising recoveries to 15,386. There are now 257 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 186 to 18,764 after conducting 4,944 tests. There were 2 new deaths and 126 recoveries in the past 24 hours, raising casualties to 207 and recoveries to 17,176, leaving 1,381 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday increased by 21 to 4,148 after conducting 351 tests. The region reported no new deaths and 19 recoveries, sustaining toll at 90 and raising recoveries to 3,853. There are currently 205 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 802 tests were conducted, raising confirmed cases by 60 to 3,748. There were 2 recoveries and 1 death in the past 24 hours, leaving 86 fatalities and 2,837 fully recovered. It now has 825 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 42,488,887 people, with over 1,149,229 reported deaths. Governments across the word halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home at the peak of the virus’s spread, but have since eased restrictions to help shuttered economies rebound. Overall, around 31,424,532 patients of the 42.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far, with health experts warning of an impending second wave as winter approaches.