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Confirmed cases rise to 352,296 against 321,563 recoveries and 7,092 deaths, leaving 23,641 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 2,304 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 36,923 tests—a positivity ratio of 6.24 percent.
Lt. Gen. Muhammad Afzal, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a spokesperson. The NDMA is one of the agencies responsible for helping provinces contain the spread of the virus.
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 – 352,296 (Tests: 4,847,105)
Punjab – 108,822
Sindh – 153,051
Balochistan – 16,274
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 41,472
Islamabad – 23,122
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,416
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 5,139
Deaths – 7,092
Recoveries – 321,563
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 352,296. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 37 to 7,092. At the same time, recoveries increased by 714 to 321,563, or 91.3 percent of total infections. There are currently 23,641 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 1,219 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 17 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,455. The province raised its confirmed cases to 108,822 with 601 new infections after conducting 12,038 tests. The province reported 20 new recoveries, leaving 97,692 fully recovered, and now has 8,675 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Friday rose by 979 to 153,051 after conducting 12,599 tests. The province reported 14 new deaths, raising toll to 2,718, while its recoveries rose by 314 to 141,760. Overall, the province now has 8,573 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Friday reported 1 death, raising toll to 1,303. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 100 to 38,526 while its confirmed cases have increased by 214 to 41,472 after conducting 3,487 tests. The province currently has 1,643 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its confirmed cases to 16,274 with 48 new infections after conducting 746 tests. There was 1 new death and 2 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 155 fatalities and 15,782 recoveries. There are now 337 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 357 to 23,122 after conducting 7,187 tests. There were 2 deaths and 204 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 250 casualties; 19,808 recovered; and 3,064 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday increased by 7 to 4,416 after conducting 329 tests. The region reported no new deaths and 21 recoveries, leaving 93 fatalities and 4,183 recovered. There are currently 140 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 537 tests were conducted, raising confirmed cases by 98 to 5,139. There were 53 recoveries and 2 deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 118 fatalities and 3,812 fully recovered. It now has 1,209 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 53,091,981 people, with over 1,299,407 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 37,212,856 patients of the 53 million+ infected have recovered thus far.