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Confirmed infections reach 593,453, against 563,823 recoveries and 13,281 deaths, leaving 16,349 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday reported 1,353 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 31,786 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.26 percent.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday announced it had formed a two-member panel to investigate how players and staff got infected with the coronavirus during the Pakistan Super League tournament, especially as they were all living in a bio-secure bubble. The panel is comprised of infectious disease experts Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood and Dr. Salman Mohammad Abbas, who will review the bio-secure bubble protocols put in place for the PSL and submit a report to PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani by March 31.
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 60,977, 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 – 593,453 (Tests: 9,278,613)
Punjab – 178,648
Sindh – 259,956
Balochistan – 19,121
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 74,167
Islamabad – 45,976
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,959
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 10,626
Deaths – 13,281
Recoveries – 563,823
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 593,453. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 54 to 13,281. At the same time, recoveries increased by 3,365 to 563,823, or 95 percent of total infections. There are currently 16,349 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,644 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 35 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,600. The province now has 178,648 confirmed cases; it reported 825 new infections after conducting 15,501 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.32 percent. There were 825 new recoveries recorded, leaving 166,503 fully recovered, and 6,545 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 259,956; it reported 101 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 5,950 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.7 percent. The province reported 10 new deaths, raising toll to 4,436, while its recoveries rose by 2,206 to 251,394. Overall, the province now has 4,126 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 140 new infections after conducting 4,584 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.05 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 74,167. It recorded 5 new deaths, raising toll to 2,118, while its recoveries have risen by 130 to 69,527. There are currently 2,522 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 19,121 with 4 new infections after conducting 125 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.2 percent. There were no deaths and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 201 fatalities and 18,828 fully recovered. There are now 92 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 236 to 45,976 after conducting 4,847 tests; a positivity ratio of 4.87 percent. There were 2 deaths and 134 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 511 casualties; 43,134 recovered; and 2,331 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 263 tests; it now has 4,959 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,853 fully recovered people. There are currently 4 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 47 to 10,626 after conducting 516 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.11 percent. There were 2 deaths and 51 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 313 fatalities and 9,584 fully recovered. It now has 729 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 117,750,924 people, with over 2,612,186 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now slowly recovering from a second wave of the coronavirus, aided in part by the launch of vaccination campaigns. Overall, around 93,438,021 patients of the 117.7 million+ infected have recovered thus far.