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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 825,519, against 717,009 recoveries and 17,957 deaths, leaving 90,553 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 4,696 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 48,740 tests—a positivity ratio of 9.6 percent.
The Sindh Health Department on Friday announced that it had discovered the presence of the South African and Brazilian variants of COVID-19 in Karachi, with minister Dr. Azra Pechuho warning that their rapid spread could place great pressure on Pakistan’s healthcare infrastructure if mitigating efforts were not undertaken now. Both variants are highly contagious, and reportedly can also prove deadlier. Pakistan’s ongoing third wave of the pandemic has been primarily driven by the U.K. variant; the discovery of the South African and Brazilian variants risks prolonging it in the absence of SOP compliance among the public.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 825,519 (Tests: 11,836,866)
Punjab – 303,182
Sindh – 283,560
Balochistan – 22,369
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 118,413
Islamabad – 75,498
Gilgit-Baltistan – 5,310
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 17,187
Deaths – 17,957
Recoveries – 717,009
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 825,519. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 146 to 17,957. At the same time, recoveries increased by 5,544 to 717,009, or 86.9 percent of total infections. There are currently 90,553 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 5,490 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 90 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 8,500. The province now has 303,182 confirmed cases; it reported 2,068 new infections after conducting 18,962 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.91 percent. There were 3,587 new recoveries recorded, leaving 247,050 fully recovered, and 47,632 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 283,560; it reported 1,115 new infections on Saturday after conducting 14,783 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.54 percent. The province reported 12 deaths, raising toll to 4,645, while its recoveries rose by 362 to 264,414. Overall, the province now has 14,501 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 856 new infections after conducting 8,102 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.56 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 118,413. It recorded 36 new deaths and 796 recoveries, raising toll to 3,310 and recoveries to 102,938. There are currently 12,165 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 22,369 with 91 new infections after conducting 529 tests, a positivity ratio of 17.2 percent. There were 2 deaths and 137 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 236 fatalities and 20,729 fully recovered. There are now 1,404 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 431 to 75,498 after conducting 4,948 tests; a positivity ratio of 8.71 percent. There were 4 deaths and 535 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 683 casualties; 62,320 recovered; and 12,495 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday recorded 5 new cases of COVID-19 after conducting 405 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.23 percent; it now has 5,310 confirmed cases. The region reported 1 new death and 14 recoveries, leaving 107 fatalities and 5,086 fully recovered people. There are currently 117 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 130 to 17,187 after conducting 1,011 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.86 percent. There was 1 death and 113 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 476 fatalities and 14,472 fully recovered. It now has 2,239 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 152,025,280 people, with over 3,193,937 reported deaths. After having passed through two waves of the pandemic, the world is divided between countries that are either in the midst of a third wave driven by mutated variants, or have launched mass vaccination drives that are allowing them to reopen safely. There are mounting calls, including from the World Health Organization, for “vaccine equality,” i.e. for developed nations to stop hoarding vaccines in excess of their requirements and to share them with the developing world to help curb the spread of new mutated variants. Overall, around 129,293,329 patients of the 152 million+ infected have recovered thus far.