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Confirmed infections rise to 541,031, against 496,745 recoveries and 11,560 deaths, leaving 32,726 active cases
Pakistan on Friday recorded 1,644 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 43,381 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.79 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Thursday decided to send a special plane to China within the next two days to airlift the first batch of vaccines to Pakistan. Last week, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that Beijing was “gifting” 500,000 doses of an unidentified coronavirus vaccine to Islamabad, adding that efforts were underway to secure more inoculations for the general public.
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 – 541,031 (Tests: 7,848,316)
Punjab – 156,404
Sindh – 244,340
Balochistan – 18,798
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 66,451
Islamabad – 41,176
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,909
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,953
Deaths – 11,560
Recoveries – 496,745
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 541,031. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 46 to 11,560. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,167 to 496,745, or 91.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 32,726 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,133 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 20 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,681. The province now has 156,404 confirmed cases; it reported 599 new infections after conducting 16,970 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.53 percent. There were 1,240 new recoveries recorded, leaving 141,785 fully recovered, and 9,938 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 244,340; it reported 657 new infections on Friday after conducting 12,151 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.41 percent. The province reported 12 new deaths, raising toll to 3,969, while its recoveries rose by 586 to 222,623. Overall, the province now has 17,748 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 253 new infections after conducting 6,800 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.72 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 66,451. It recorded 9 new deaths, raising toll to 1,879, while its recoveries have risen by 194 to 61,656. There are currently 2,916 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its confirmed cases to 18,798 with 10 new infections after conducting 527 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.89 percent. There was 1 death and 6 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 194 fatalities and 18,363 fully recovered. There are now 241 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 100 to 41,176 after conducting 6,152 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.63 percent. There were 4 deaths and 117 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 476 casualties; 39,196 recovered; and 1,504 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday after conducting 370 tests; it has 4,909 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 6 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,787 fully recovered people. There are currently 20 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 22 to 8,953 after conducting 411 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.35 percent. There were no deaths and 18 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 259 fatalities and 8,335 fully recovered. It now has 359 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 102,041,000 people, with over 2,201,043 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 73,867,291 patients of the 102 million+ infected have recovered thus far.