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Nationwide active cases have reduced to 95,570, the first time they have fallen below 100,000 since June 17
Pakistan recorded its highest single-day jump in recoveries thus far—11,471—raising overall recoveries from the novel coronavirus in the country to 125,094, or 55.5 percent of confirmed infections.
This week, the government issued revised guidelines that ended an earlier requirement of patients being declared COVID-free after two consecutive negative tests. Under the new guidelines, a patient who has three consecutive symptom-free days after 10 days of infection is automatically declared COVID-free and retests are no longer necessary.
Authorities in Punjab have claimed this is partly to blame for the reduced testing in the province, although global health experts have advised the government to start randomized testing to ascertain the true spread of the disease. The country continues to test far below its claimed capacity of 71,780—and significantly below the numbers proposed by global health experts—having reported 3,387 new infections in the past 24 hours after conducting 22,050 tests, a positivity ratio of 15.4 percent. According to the World Health Organization, any country with a positivity ratio over 5 percent is likely only testing the most symptomatic patients and ignoring asymptomatic infections, which can significantly boost the invisible spread of the virus.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 225,283 (Tests: 1,372,825)
Punjab – 80,297 (Tests: 525,622)
Sindh – 90,721 (Tests: 480,856)
Balochistan – 10,717 (Tests: 50,478)
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 27,506 (Tests: 152,284)
Islamabad – 13,292 (Tests: 130,665)
Gilgit-Baltistan – 1,536 (Tests: 15,593)
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 1,214 (Tests: 16,895)
Deaths – 4,619
Recoveries – 125,094
In the 24 hours preceding 9:00 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s death toll climbed by 68 to 4,619. Overall confirmed cases climbed by 3,387 to 225,283. There are currently 95,570 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, 8,152 less than a day earlier, with the NCOC reporting 2,460 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
The province reported 9,068 recoveries in the past 24 hours—the highest number of recoveries recorded in a single day in any province of the country thus far. The dramatic jump in recoveries is linked to the province’s new policy of declaring a patient COVID-free if they exhibit no symptoms of the virus for three consecutive days after the 10th day of infection.
On Saturday, authorities reported 25 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising total fatalities to 1,844. The province also reported 1,341 new infections, raising confirmed cases to 80,297, against 42,854 recoveries. There are now 35,599 active cases of the virus in Punjab province, 7,752 less than a day earlier.
Sindh
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Friday claimed that the coronavirus situation was improving across the country—except for Sindh province. He claimed that the National Command and Operation Center would work with the Sindh government in the coming days to ensure that the province’s COVID-19 response proved as effective as that of the rest of the country.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province on Saturday morning rose by 1,496 to 90,721. Additionally, the province’s death toll climbed by 22 to 1,459, while its recoveries rose by 982 to 50,908. Overall, the province now has 38,354 active cases of the novel coronavirus, 492 more than a day earlier.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Adviser to the C.M. on Information Ajmal Wazir on Friday announced the provincial government had established a hospital specializing in treatment of COVID-19 cases at Peshawar’s Nishtarabad. He said the hospital would initially comprise 58 beds, including 17 high-dependency units, and 5 ICU beds.
The provincial government on Saturday reported 19 new deaths, raising its death toll to 1,002. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 805 to 15,520, while its confirmed cases have increased by 336 to 27,506. There are currently 10,984 active cases of coronavirus in the province, 488 less than a day ago.
Balochistan
Nearly 50 percent of the province’s total cases of coronavirus have now fully recovered, with spokesman Liaquat Shahwani telling media that the government believed mass adoption of standard operating procedures to curb the spread of COVID-19 was showing results.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province on Saturday rose by 51 to 10,717, with no new deaths and 258 new recoveries. Overall, 122 people have died and 5,331 patients have fully recovered from the virus, leaving 5,264 active cases of COVID-19, 207 less than a day ago.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 97 to 13,292. There was 1 new death in the past 24 hours, while 346 more people have fully recovered. Overall, 130 people have died due to COVID-19 in the federal capital against 8,610 recoveries, leaving 4,552 active cases of COVID-19.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan rose by 12 on Saturday to 1,536. The region reported no new deaths, sustaining fatalities to 28, while its recoveries have increased by 12 to 1,185, leaving 323 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 54 to 1,214. The region’s death toll increased by 1 to 34, while 686 people have now fully recovered. It has 494 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 11,191,810 people, with over 529,125 reported deaths. Governments across the world 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 in nations that have reined it in to help shuttered economies recover. Overall, around 6,330,815 patients of the 11.1 million+ infected have recovered thus far.