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Confirmed infections hit 506,701 against 461,977 recoveries and 10,717 deaths, leaving 34,007 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday reported 2,408 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 40,088 tests—a positivity ratio of 6 percent.
The first wave of the coronavirus in Pakistan left 20.6 million people without any employment, according to a report issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The report, covering April through July, said Sindh was worst-affected, with its working population reducing to 23 percent compared to 38 percent prior to the pandemic. It said that after July, the recovery process had started and 33 percent of the national population had reported they were once more employed.
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 – 506,701 (Tests: 7,162,626)
Punjab – 146,016
Sindh – 227,885
Balochistan – 18,429
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 61,648
Islamabad – 39,340
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,882
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,501
Deaths – 10,717
Recoveries – 461,977
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 506,701. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 41 to 10,717. At the same time, recoveries increased by 3,606 to 461,977, or 91.2 percent of total infections. There are currently 34,007 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,340 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 27 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,299. The province now has 146,016 confirmed cases; it reported 508 new infections after conducting 14,499 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.5 percent. There were 407 new recoveries recorded, leaving 130,765 fully recovered, and 10,952 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 227,885; it reported 1,547 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 14,137 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.94 percent. The province reported 9 new deaths, raising toll to 3,708, while its recoveries rose by 2,852 to 206,927. Overall, the province now has 17,250 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 224 new infections after conducting 5,001 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.48 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 61,648. It recorded 3 new deaths, raising toll to 1,743, while its recoveries have risen by 179 to 56,714. There are currently 3,191 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,429 with 17 new infections after conducting 574 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.96 percent. There were no deaths and 17 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 188 fatalities and 17,955 fully recovered. There are now 286 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 98 to 39,340 after conducting 5,277 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.86 percent. There were 2 deaths and 130 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 443 casualties; 36,895 recovered; and 2,002 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 2 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 367 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.54 percent. It now has 4,882 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 5 recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,739 fully recovered people. There are currently 42 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 12 to 8,501 after conducting 233 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.15 percent. There were no deaths and 16 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 235 fatalities and 7,982 fully recovered. It now has 284 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 91,318,240 people, with over 1,952,932 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 65,291,805 patients of the 91.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.