File photo
Confirmed infections rise to 308,217 against 294,392 recoveries and 6,437 deaths, leaving 7,388 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday recorded 799 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting a record 42,299 tests—a positivity ratio of 1.89 percent.
The Punjab government has suspended a district health officer of Lahore and ordered an inquiry to determine punishment for the deputy district health officers of eight towns of the city that were found to have submitted 1,883 suspicious test results to the central COVID-19 database. The Punjab Health Department has said that the fictitious results were all input Aug. 23-31 and have since been removed from the overall tally.
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 72,232 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 – 308,217 (Tests: 3,306,515)
Punjab – 98,686
Sindh – 134,845
Balochistan – 14,765
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 37,470
Islamabad – 16,288
Gilgit-Baltistan – 3,572
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 2,591
Deaths – 6,437
Recoveries – 294,392
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 308,217. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 5 to 6,437. At the same time, recoveries increased by 476 to 294,392, or 95.5 percent of total infections. There are currently 7,388 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 548 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 2 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,229. The province conducted 11,053 tests, raising confirmed cases to 98,686 with 84 new infections. Meanwhile, its recoveries have increased by 14 to 95,173. There are now 1,284 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Thursday rose by 408 to 134,845 against 18,360 tests. The province reported 2 deaths, raising toll to 2,471, while its recoveries rose by 154 to 128,964. Overall, the province now has 3,410 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Thursday reported no new deaths, sustaining toll at 1,258. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 47 to 35,788 while its confirmed cases have increased by 52 to 37,470. The province conducted 4,627 tests on Wednesday and currently has 424 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province conducted 1,333 tests on Wednesday, raising confirmed cases to 14,765 with 158 new infections. There were no new deaths and 177 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining fatalities at 145 and raising recoveries to 13,384. There are now 1,236 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 42 to 16,288 after conducting 6,149 tests. There was 1 new death and 17 recoveries in the past 24 hours, raising casualties to 181 and recoveries to 15,646, leaving 461 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday increased by 30 to 3,572 after conducting 216 tests. The region reported no new death, sustaining toll at 83, while its recoveries increased by 56 to 3,144, leaving 345 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 25 to 2,591 after conducting 561 tests. There were 11 recoveries and no deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 70 fatalities and 2,293 fully recovered. It now has 228 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 32,097,169 people, with over 981,967 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 23,679,970 patients of the 32.1 million+ infected have recovered thus far, with health experts warning of an impending second wave as winter approaches.