File photo
Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 952,907, against 897,834 recoveries and 22,152 deaths, leaving 32,921 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 1,052 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 45,924 tests—a positivity ratio of 2.3 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Center overseeing Pakistan’s coronavirus response, on Thursday lashed out at the “chaos” resulting from individual countries deciding which vaccines were suitable for prospective travelers. ““Vaccine acceptability decisions have to be taken by a global institution like WHO,” he said in a posting on Twitter. “Each country deciding which vaccine is acceptable for travel to that country is creating chaos,” he added. In recent weeks, Pakistanis wishing to travel to several Gulf states for work purposes have been stonewalled if they were vaccinated with Chinese vaccines; the government has vowed to work to address this issue.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 952,907 (Tests: 14,325,008)
Punjab – 345,546
Sindh – 334,453
Balochistan – 26,893
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 137,484
Islamabad – 82,502
Gilgit-Baltistan – 5,908
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 20,121
Deaths – 22,152
Recoveries – 897,834
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 952,907. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 44 to 22,152. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,013 to 897,834, or 94.2 percent of total infections. There are currently 32,921 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,029 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 12 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 10,700. The province now has 345,546 confirmed cases; it reported 97 new infections after conducting 17,278 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.56 percent. There were 298 new recoveries recorded, leaving 325,784 fully recovered, and 9,062 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 334,453; it reported 655 new infections on Friday after administering 13,223 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.9 percent. The province reported 24 deaths, raising toll to 5,392, while its recoveries rose by 426 to 309,496. Overall, the province now has 19,565 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 114 new infections after conducting 10,412 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.09 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 137,484. It recorded 5 new deaths and 176 recoveries, raising toll to 4,294 and recoveries to 131,318. There are currently 1,872 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its confirmed cases to 26,893 with 48 new infections after administering 839 tests for a positivity ratio of 5.72 percent. There was 1 death and 26 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 304 fatalities and 25,796 fully recovered. There are now 793 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 32 to 82,502 after conducting 3,118 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.03 percent. There were no deaths and 40 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 775 casualties; 80,698 recovered; and 1,029 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan on Friday recorded 39 new cases of COVID-19 after conducting 473 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.2 percent; it now has 5,908 confirmed cases. The region reported no new deaths and 5 recoveries, leaving 111 fatalities and 5,632 fully recovered people. There are currently 165 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 57 to 20,121 after administering 581 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.8 percent. There were 2 deaths and 42 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 576 fatalities and 19,110 fully recovered. It now has 435 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 180,776,268 people, with over 3,916,246 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 165,426,389 patients of the 180.8 million+ infected have recovered thus far.