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Confirmed infections reach 549,032, against 504,046 recoveries and 11,802 deaths, leaving 33,184 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 1,384 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 35,460 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.9 percent.
Prime Minister Imran Khan launched Pakistan’s coronavirus vaccination campaign, with the first shot administered to a doctor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). Addressing the gathering, he said the vaccine was being distributed “equitably” among all provinces so “no one thinks we’ve provided more of it to one province.” The first tranches of the vaccine reached all federating units on Tuesday night, with the campaign to immunize registered frontline healthcare workers to commence nationwide today (Wednesday).
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 – 549,032 (Tests: 8,041,254)
Punjab – 158,793
Sindh – 248,270
Balochistan – 18,836
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 67,589
Islamabad – 41,561
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,910
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 9,073
Deaths – 11,802
Recoveries – 504,046
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 549,032. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 56 to 11,802. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,509 to 504,046, or 91.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,184 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,016 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 13 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,806. The province now has 158,793 confirmed cases; it reported 573 new infections after conducting 13,047 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.39 percent. There were 556 new recoveries recorded, leaving 144,208 fully recovered, and 9,779 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 248,270; it reported 543 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 9,018 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.02 percent. The province reported 29 new deaths, raising toll to 4,033, while its recoveries rose by 314 to 225,297. Overall, the province now has 18,940 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 170 new infections after conducting 6,018 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.82 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 67,589. It recorded 11 new deaths, raising toll to 1,923, while its recoveries have risen by 492 to 63,029. There are currently 2,637 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,836 with 6 new infections after conducting 424 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.41 percent. There were no deaths and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 196 fatalities and 18,516 fully recovered. There are now 124 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 68 to 41,561 after conducting 6,248 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.08 percent. There were no deaths and 101 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 475 casualties; 39,777 recovered; and 1,309 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 324 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.31 percent; it now has 4,910 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 5 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,793 fully recovered people. There are currently 15 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 23 to 9,073 after conducting 381 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.04 percent. There were 3 deaths and 22 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 267 fatalities and 8,426 fully recovered. It now has 380 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 104,393,004 people, with over 2,262,795 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 76,248,462 patients of the 104.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.