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Confirmed infections reach 592,100, against 560,458 recoveries and 13,227 deaths, leaving 18,415 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 1,592 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 34,347 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.63 percent.
With healthcare workers warning of a potential third wave of COVID-19 amidst a new surge in daily infections, Planning Minister Asad Umar on Sunday announced that the vaccination drive for people over 60 would commence from March 10 (Wednesday). In a posting on Twitter, he said the vaccinations would be administered in reverse order, with the oldest registered individuals getting inoculated first, and the youngest last.
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 – 592,100 (Tests: 9,246,827)
Punjab – 177,823
Sindh – 259,855
Balochistan – 19,117
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 74,027
Islamabad – 45,740
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,959
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 10,579
Deaths – 13,227
Recoveries – 560,458
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 592,100. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 22 to 13,227. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,210 to 560,458, or 94.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 18,415 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,609 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 13 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,565. The province now has 177,823 confirmed cases; it reported 815 new infections after conducting 14,677 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.55 percent. There were 689 new recoveries recorded, leaving 165,678 fully recovered, and 6,580 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 259,855; it reported 189 new infections on Monday after conducting 7,813 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.42 percent. The province reported 2 new deaths, raising toll to 4,426, while its recoveries rose by 189 to 249,188. Overall, the province now has 6,241 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 319 new infections after conducting 6,141 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.19 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 74,027. It recorded 4 new deaths, raising toll to 2,113, while its recoveries have risen by 133 to 69,397. There are currently 2,517 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its confirmed cases to 19,117 with 3 new infections after conducting 267 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.12 percent. There were no deaths and 5 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 201 fatalities and 18,809 fully recovered. There are now 107 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 221 to 45,740 after conducting 4,578 tests; a positivity ratio of 4.83 percent. There was 1 death and 147 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 509 casualties; 43,000 recovered; and 2,231 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday 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 45 to 10,579 after conducting 608 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.4 percent. There were 2 deaths and 47 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 311 fatalities and 9,533 fully recovered. It now has 735 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 117,449,512 people, with over 2,605,337 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 92,964,061 patients of the 117.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.