Confirmed infections hit 516,770 against 472,099 recoveries and 10,908 deaths, leaving 33,763 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday recorded 2,432 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 42,422 tests—a positivity ratio of 5.73 percent.
Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan has told local media that the government has yet to finalize any orders for a coronavirus vaccine. In separate interviews, he said that the government was striving to procure a vaccine that was effective and affordable. “We are hoping to have vaccines for frontline workers within the first quarter,” he said, but cautioned that no date could be provided because the orders were still pending.
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 – 516,770 (Tests: 7,326,431)
Punjab – 148,488
Sindh – 233,396
Balochistan – 18,537
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 62,996
Islamabad – 39,888
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,882
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,583
Deaths – 10,908
Recoveries – 472,099
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 516,770. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 45 to 10,908. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,793 to 472,099, or 91.4 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,763 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,334 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 17 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,387. The province now has 148,488 confirmed cases; it reported 535 new infections after conducting 14,390 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.72 percent. There were 817 new recoveries recorded, leaving 133,586 fully recovered, and 10,515 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 233,396; it reported 1,443 new infections on Saturday after conducting 13,340 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.82 percent. The province reported 14 new deaths, raising toll to 3,769, while its recoveries rose by 1,492 to 212,266. Overall, the province now has 17,361 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 277 new infections after conducting 6,591 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.2 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 62,996. It recorded 11 new deaths, raising toll to 1,773, while its recoveries have risen by 218 to 57,755. There are currently 3,468 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 18,537 with 22 new infections after conducting 586 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.75 percent. There was 1 death and 39 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 190 fatalities and 18,060 fully recovered. There are now 287 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 139 to 39,888 after conducting 6,784 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.05 percent. There was 1 death and 208 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 450 casualties; 37,621 recovered; and 1,817 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 360 tests; it now has 4,882 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,748 fully recovered people. There are currently 33 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 16 to 8,583 after conducting 371 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.32 percent. There was 1 death and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 238 fatalities and 8,063 fully recovered. It now has 282 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 94,314,589 people, with over 2,017,903 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 67,345,871 patients of the 94.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.