Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections rise to 307,418 against 293,916 recoveries and 6,432 deaths, leaving 7,070 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 532 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 33,744 tests—a positivity ratio of 1.57 percent.
The Indian government has barred Sikh pilgrims from traveling to Kartarpur in Pakistan and participating in Baba Guru Nanak’s 481st death anniversary due to fears of coronavirus spread. India is the world’s third-worst affected country by COVID-19 and has ramped up preventative measures in a bid to prevent its from spreading further.
Pakistan’s welcome decline in daily infections and deaths, meanwhile, has encountered some trepidation from observers who warn that the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 77,320 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, 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. Medical experts have also warned that the government’s decision to end nearly all movement restrictions at once risks a second wave of the virus.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 307,418 (Tests: 3,264,216)
Punjab – 98,602
Sindh – 134,437
Balochistan – 14,607
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 37,418
Islamabad – 16,246
Gilgit-Baltistan – 3,542
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 2,566
Deaths – 6,432
Recoveries – 293,916
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 307,418. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 8 to 6,432. At the same time, recoveries increased by 757 to 293,916, or 95.6 percent of total infections. There are currently 7,070 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 558 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported no new deaths due to COVID-19, sustaining fatalities at 2,227. The province conducted 10,593 tests, raising confirmed cases to 98,602 with 115 new infections. Meanwhile, its recoveries have increased by 188 to 95,159. There are now 1,216 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Wednesday rose by 194 to 134,437 against 13,056 tests. The province reported 6 deaths, raising toll to 2,469, while its recoveries rose by 316 to 128,810. Overall, the province now has 3,158 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Wednesday reported no new deaths, sustaining toll at 1,258. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 128 to 35,741 while its confirmed cases have increased by 31 to 37,418. The province conducted 4,068 tests on Tuesday and currently has 419 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province conducted 1,113 tests on Tuesday, raising confirmed cases to 14,607 with 108 new infections. There were no new deaths and 57 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining fatalities at 145 and raising recoveries to 13,207. There are now 1,255 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 39 to 16,246 after conducting 3,699 tests. There were no new deaths and 32 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining casualties at 180 and raising recoveries to 15,629, leaving 437 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday increased by 29 to 3,542 after conducting 227 tests. The region reported 1 new death, raising toll to 83, while its recoveries increased by 28 to 3,088, leaving 371 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 16 to 2,566 after conducting 988 tests. There was 1 death and 8 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 70 fatalities and 2,282 fully recovered. It now has 214 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 31,783,504 people, with over 975,471 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. Overall, around 23,400,640 patients of the 31.7 million+ infected have recovered thus far, with health experts warning of an impending second wave as winter approaches.