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Confirmed infections hit 300,955 against 288,536 recoveries and 6,373 deaths, leaving 6,046 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 548 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 28,724 tests—a positivity ratio of 1.9 percent.
Warning that a second wave may be in the offing, Adviser to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan on Friday urged the public to adopt all standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of COVID-19. He said that effective mechanisms and a robust awareness drive had helped Pakistan emerge as one of the global success stories in the fight against the coronavirus.
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 73,680 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 – 300,955 (Tests: 2,908,379)
Punjab – 97,602
Sindh – 131,675
Balochistan – 13,401
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 36,862
Islamabad – 15,862
Gilgit-Baltistan – 3,164
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 2,389
Deaths – 6,373
Recoveries – 288,536
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 300,955. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 3 to 6,373. At the same time, recoveries increased by 330 to 288,536, or 95.9 percent of total infections. There are currently 6,046 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 534 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 1 new death due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,215. The province conducted 10,211 tests, raising confirmed cases to 97,602 with 69 new infections. Meanwhile, its recoveries have increased by 10 to 94,268. There are now 1,119 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Saturday rose by 271 to 131,675 against 11,042 tests. Additionally, the province’s death toll climbed by 1 to 2,440, while its recoveries rose by 157 to 126,861. Overall, the province now has 2,374 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Saturday reported no new deaths, sustaining toll at 1,256. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 91 to 34,865, while its confirmed cases have increased by 39 to 36,862. The province conducted 3,210 tests on Friday and currently has 741 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province conducted 895 tests on Friday, raising confirmed cases to 13,401 with 119 new infections. There were no new deaths and 21 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining fatalities at 145 and raising recoveries to 12,272. There are now 984 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 30 to 15,862 after conducting 2,622 tests. There was no new death and 26 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining casualties at 178 and raising recoveries to 15,296, leaving 388 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday increased by 33 to 3,164 after conducting 397 tests. The region reported 1 new death, raising toll to 74, while its recoveries increased by 18 to 2,762, leaving 328 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 23 to 2,389 after conducting 347 tests. There were no new deaths and 7 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 65 fatalities and 2,212 fully recovered. It now has 112 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 28,659,610 people, with over 919,715 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 there are now signs of easements to help shuttered economies recover. Overall, around 20,585,981 patients of the 28.6 million+ infected have recovered thus far.