File photo
Confirmed infections reach 587,014, against 556,769 recoveries and 13,128 deaths, leaving 17,117 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 1,579 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 37,998 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.15 percent.
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday “indefinitely” postponed the Pakistan Super League Twenty20 cricket tournament after seven players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. Announcing the decision, the cricketing body said that the health of the players was paramount and stressed that their priority right now was ensuring foreign players could return to their homes safely. The decision raises questions about Pakistan’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as the National Command and Operation Center had—just last week—announced an intent to increase the limits placed on audiences in light of the coronavirus situation “improving.”
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 60,881, 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 – 587,014 (Tests: 9,135,393)
Punjab – 175,051
Sindh – 259,164
Balochistan – 19,097
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 73,258
Islamabad – 45,078
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,957
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 10,409
Deaths – 13,128
Recoveries – 556,769
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 587,014. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 52 to 13,128. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,527 to 556,769, or 94.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 17,117 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,551 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 30 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,510. The province now has 174,191 confirmed cases; it reported 860 new infections after conducting 15,092 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.7 percent. There were 759 new recoveries recorded, leaving 163,752 fully recovered, and 5,789 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 259,164; it reported 260 new infections on Friday after conducting 9,689 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.68 percent. The province reported 17 new deaths, raising toll to 4,405, while its recoveries rose by 294 to 248,478. Overall, the province now has 6,281 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 251 new infections after conducting 6,759 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.71 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 73,258. It recorded 3 new deaths, raising toll to 2,099, while its recoveries have risen by 270 to 68,946. There are currently 2,213 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its confirmed cases to 19,097 with 13 new infections after conducting 789 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.65 percent. There were no deaths and 6 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 200 fatalities and 18,779 fully recovered. There are now 118 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 157 to 45,078 after conducting 4,803 tests; a positivity ratio of 3.27 percent. There was 1 death and 152 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 504 casualties; 42,571 recovered; and 2,003 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday after conducting 263 tests; it now has 4,957 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,850 fully recovered people. There are currently 5 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 38 to 10,409 after conducting 603 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.3 percent. There was 1 death and 46 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 308 fatalities and 9,393 fully recovered. It now has 708 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 116,216,580 people, with over 2,581,649 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 91,884,249 patients of the 116.2 million+ infected have recovered thus far.