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Confirmed infections reach 550,540, against 505,818 recoveries and 11,833 deaths, leaving 32,889 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday recorded 1,508 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 44,173 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.41 percent.
Pakistan launched its nationwide coronavirus vaccination campaign on Wednesday, with Planning Minister Asad Umar lauding the services of frontline healthcare workers in tirelessly serving the nation during the pandemic. All federating units, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, organized ceremonies to mark the launch of the vaccination drive. Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan dismissed reports of side-effects from the vaccines, saying everyone eligible should avail them.
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 – 550,540 (Tests: 8,085,427)
Punjab – 159,311
Sindh – 248,919
Balochistan – 18,840
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 67,803
Islamabad – 41,655
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,912
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 9,100
Deaths – 11,833
Recoveries – 505,818
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 550,540. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 31 to 11,833. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,772 to 505,818, or 91.9 percent of total infections. There are currently 32,889 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,971 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 15 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,821. The province now has 159,311 confirmed cases; it reported 518 new infections after conducting 18,235 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.84 percent. There were 713 new recoveries recorded, leaving 144,921 fully recovered, and 9,569 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 248,919; it reported 649 new infections on Thursday after conducting 12,035 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.39 percent. The province reported 3 new deaths, raising toll to 4,036, while its recoveries rose by 720 to 226,017. Overall, the province now has 18,866 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 214 new infections after conducting 6,718 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.18 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 67,803. It recorded 8 new deaths, raising toll to 1,931, while its recoveries have risen by 205 to 63,234. There are currently 2,638 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Thursday raised its confirmed cases to 18,840 with 4 new infections after conducting 458 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.87 percent. There were no deaths and 20 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 196 fatalities and 18,536 fully recovered. There are now 108 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 94 to 41,655 after conducting 5,895 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.59 percent. There were 3 deaths and 94 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 478 casualties; 39,871 recovered; and 1,306 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 2 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday after conducting 394 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.51 percent; it now has 4,912 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 1 recovery, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,794 fully recovered people. There are currently 16 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 27 to 9,100 after conducting 438 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.16 percent. There were 2 deaths and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 269 fatalities and 8,445 fully recovered. It now has 386 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 104,911,116 people, with over 2,278,576 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 76,635,068 patients of the 104.9 million+ infected have recovered thus far.