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Confirmed infections reach 715,968, against 627,561 recoveries and 15,329 deaths, leaving 73,078 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 5,139 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 49,069 tests—a positivity ratio of 10.47 percent.
A group of British lawmakers has written to P.M. Boris Johnson demanding clarity on the criteria used by the government to place Pakistan and Bangladesh on a travel ban ‘red list,’ stressing that the decision risks making British citizens choose between returning home or going into debt to pay for their trip. The letter, signed by 46 M.P.s, advises either extending the deadline—which went into effect on April 9—or providing a roadmap of when the restrictions could be lifted so travelers could plan their itineraries in a realistic manner.
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 61,577, 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 – 715,968 (Tests: 10,688,894)
Punjab – 245,923
Sindh – 268,284
Balochistan – 20,178
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 97,318
Islamabad – 64,902
Gilgit-Baltistan – 5,103
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 14,260
Deaths – 15,329
Recoveries – 627,561
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 715,968. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 100 to 15,329. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,772 to 627,561, or 87.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 73,078 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 4,204 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 57 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 6,908. The province now has 245,923 confirmed cases; it reported 2,628 new infections after conducting 21,184 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.4 percent. There were 294 new recoveries recorded, leaving 200,235 fully recovered, and 38,780 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 268,284; it reported 314 new infections on Saturday after conducting 8,448 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.72 percent. The province reported 2 new deaths, raising toll to 4,523, while its recoveries rose by 271 to 257,593. Overall, the province now has 6,168 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 1,190 new infections after conducting 8,848 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.45 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 97,318. It recorded 33 new deaths and 520 recoveries, raising toll to 2,586 and recoveries to 82,479. There are currently 12,253 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 20,178 with 81 new infections after conducting 1,035 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.83 percent. There were no deaths and 27 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 213 fatalities and 19,322 fully recovered. There are now 643 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 729 to 64,902 after conducting 7,888 tests; a positivity ratio of 9.24 percent. There were 4 deaths and 516 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 601 casualties; 51,238 recovered; and 13,063 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 6 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 486 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.23 percent; it now has 5,103 confirmed cases. The region reported no new deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,912 fully recovered people. There are currently 88 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 191 to 14,260 after conducting 1,180 tests, a positivity ratio of 16.19 percent. There were 4 deaths and 144 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 395 fatalities and 11,782 fully recovered. It now has 2,083 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 135,315,183 people, with over 2,928,782 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now slowly recovering from a second wave of the coronavirus, aided largely by the launch of mass vaccination campaigns. Overall, around 108,868,227 patients of the 135.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.