Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections rise to 539,387, against 494,578 recoveries and 11,514 deaths, leaving 33,295 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday recorded 1,910 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 40,821 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.68 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Wednesday claimed that Pakistan’s COVID-19 vaccination drive would begin from next week, adding that healthcare and frontline workers would be immunized in the first phase. “Hundreds of vaccination centers in the country will be administering COVID vaccine,” he said, adding that a system for vaccinations was in place.
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 – 539,387 (Tests: 7,804,935)
Punjab – 155,805
Sindh – 243,683
Balochistan – 18,788
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 66,198
Islamabad – 41,076
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,906
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,931
Deaths – 11,514
Recoveries – 494,578
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 539,387. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 64 to 11,514. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,371 to 494,578, or 91.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,295 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,147 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 15 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,661. The province now has 155,805 confirmed cases; it reported 591 new infections after conducting 15,341 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.85 percent. There were 658 new recoveries recorded, leaving 140,545 fully recovered, and 10,599 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 243,683; it reported 890 new infections on Thursday after conducting 11,164 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.97 percent. The province reported 32 new deaths, raising toll to 3,957, while its recoveries rose by 1,030 to 222,037. Overall, the province now has 17,689 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 245 new infections after conducting 7,255 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.38 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 66,198. It recorded 13 new deaths, raising toll to 1,870, while its recoveries have risen by 512 to 61,462. There are currently 2,866 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Thursday raised its confirmed cases to 18,788 with 23 new infections after conducting 577 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.97 percent. There were no deaths and 42 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 193 fatalities and 18,357 fully recovered. There are now 238 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 104 to 41,076 after conducting 5,773 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.8 percent. There were 3 deaths and 109 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 472 casualties; 39,079 recovered; and 1,525 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday after conducting 319 tests; it has 4,906 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,781 fully recovered people. There are currently 23 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 54 to 8,931 after conducting 392 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.77 percent. There was 1 death and 20 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 259 fatalities and 8,317 fully recovered. It now has 355 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 101,438,029 people, with over 2,184,216 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 73,325,189 patients of the 101.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.