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Confirmed cases rise to 349,992 against 320,849 recoveries and 7,055 deaths, leaving 22,088 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday reported 1,808 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 36,686 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.93 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Wednesday advised the government to immediately implement a ban on large public gatherings to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The forum noted there had been a threefold increase in daily infections, and advised shutting cinemas and religious shrines, as well as reducing operational hours of markets and bazaars.
Pakistan’s health authorities have been sounding the alarm about a second wave of the virus for several weeks now, with health officials warning it appears deadlier than the first. Daily infections and deaths are once more on the rise, raising fears that disease is making a comeback as the public becomes more apathetic toward social distancing measures. Meanwhile, the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 73,572 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to WHO, Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which recent studies have suggested comprise the majority of infections in the country.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 349,992 (Tests: 4,810,182)
Punjab – 108,221
Sindh – 152,072
Balochistan – 16,226
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 41,258
Islamabad – 22,765
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,409
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 5,041
Deaths – 7,055
Recoveries – 320,849
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 349,992. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 34 to 7,055. At the same time, recoveries increased by 784 to 320,849, or 91.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 22,088 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 1,164 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 9 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,438. The province raised its confirmed cases to 108,221 with 390 new infections after conducting 13,545 tests. The province reported no new recoveries, leaving 97,672 fully recovered, and now has 8,111 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Thursday rose by 720 to 152,072 after conducting 11,146 tests. The province reported 14 new deaths, raising toll to 2,704, while its recoveries rose by 449 to 141,446. Overall, the province now has 7,922 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Thursday reported 8 deaths, raising toll to 1,302. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 84 to 38,426 while its confirmed cases have increased by 189 to 41,258 after conducting 3,303 tests. The province currently has 1,530 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province on Thursday raised its confirmed cases to 16,226 with 31 new infections after conducting 482 tests. There were no new deaths and 37 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 154 fatalities and 15,780 recoveries. There are now 292 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 333 to 22,765 after conducting 6,879 tests. There was 1 death and 161 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 248 casualties; 19,604 recovered; and 2,913 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday increased by 15 to 4,409 after conducting 345 tests. The region reported no new deaths and 6 recoveries, leaving 93 fatalities and 4,162 recovered. There are currently 154 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 986 tests were conducted, raising confirmed cases by 130 to 5,041. There were 47 recoveries and 2 deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 116 fatalities and 3,759 fully recovered. It now has 1,166 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 52,440,433 people, with over 1,289,730 reported deaths. Governments across the word halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home at the peak of the virus’s spread, but have since eased restrictions to help shuttered economies rebound. With a second wave now emerging, countries with new spikes have started to re-impose movement restrictions. Overall, around 36,676,552 patients of the 52.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.