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Confirmed infections hit 488,529 against 442,457 recoveries and 10,350 deaths, leaving 35,722 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 1,895 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 30,139 tests—a positivity ratio of 6.29 percent.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Sunday announced that it was resuming flight operations to Saudi Arabia after the Gulf kingdom confirmed it was reopening borders and resuming international flights that had been suspended for two weeks in a bid to prevent the spread of a new strain of COVID-19 that originated in the U.K. Separately, the Punjab Healthcare Department has said that thus far no patients infected with the new strain, B.1.17, has been discovered in the province.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 56,219, 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 – 488,529 (Tests: 6,849,867)
Punjab – 140,714
Sindh – 218,597
Balochistan – 18,247
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 59,484
Islamabad – 38,263
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,867
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,357
Deaths – 10,350
Recoveries – 442,457
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 488,529. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 39 to 10,350. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,797 to 442,457, or 90.6 percent of total infections. There are currently 35,722 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,242 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 15 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,124. The province now has 140,714 confirmed cases; it reported 526 new infections after conducting 10,073 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.22 percent. There were 668 new recoveries recorded, leaving 125,129 fully recovered, and 11,461 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 218,597; it reported 961 new infections on Monday after conducting 11,473 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.38 percent. The province reported 17 new deaths, raising toll to 3,611, while its recoveries rose by 753 to 197,430. Overall, the province now has 17,556 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 229 new infections after conducting 5,104 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.49 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 59,484. It recorded 3 new deaths, raising toll to 1,675, while its recoveries have risen by 136 to 54,519. There are currently 3,290 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its confirmed cases to 18,247 with 29 new infections after conducting 485 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.97 percent. There were no deaths and 52 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 185 fatalities and 17,812 fully recovered. There are now 250 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 117 to 38,263 after conducting 2,560 tests; a positivity ratio of 4.57 percent. There were 4 deaths and 153 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 428 casualties; 35,093 recovered; and 2,742 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Monday after conducting 188 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.53 percent. It now has 4,867 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,716 fully recovered people. There are currently 50 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 32 to 8,357 after conducting 256 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.5 percent. There were no deaths and 35 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 226 fatalities and 7,758 fully recovered. It now has 373 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 85,505,963 people, with over 1,850,711 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 60,455,529 patients of the 85.5 million+ infected have recovered thus far.