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Confirmed infections reach 574,580, against 538,207 recoveries and 12,708 deaths, leaving 23,665 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 1,196 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,453 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.11 percent.
Anti-graft watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau, has launched a probe against Chughtai Labs over reports that it plans to earn more than $100 in profit for selling COVID-19 vaccines after securing them from Russia. According to local media, the lab is procuring the Sputnik-V vaccine for $20 against two doses and plans to sell them to consumers at $125; raising questions about “excessive profiteering.” Pakistan’s federal cabinet had earlier allowed private firms to set their own prices for COVID-19 vaccines, prompting critics to note that this would lead to excessive prices for the life-saving shot.
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 59,981, with daily testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan’s testing policies only record the most symptomatic patients—a belief substantiated by a Punjab government official as the “most efficient use of resources”—while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which studies suggest comprise the majority of infections nationwide.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 574,580 (Tests: 8,790,986)
Punjab – 168,891
Sindh – 256,741
Balochistan – 19,004
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 71,282
Islamabad – 43,753
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,954
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 9,955
Deaths – 12,708
Recoveries – 538,207
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 574,580. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 50 to 12,708. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,964 to 538,207, or 93.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 23,665 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,632 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 32 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,269. The province now has 168,891 confirmed cases; it reported 543 new infections after conducting 16,100 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.37 percent. There were 873 new recoveries recorded, leaving 156,821 fully recovered, and 6,801 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 256,741; it reported 296 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 9,077 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.26 percent. The province reported 8 new deaths, raising toll to 4,301, while its recoveries rose by 771 to 240,057. Overall, the province now has 12,383 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 136 new infections after conducting 7,142 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.9 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 71,282. It recorded 7 new deaths, raising toll to 2,050, while its recoveries have risen by 180 to 67,187. There are currently 2,045 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 19,004 with 11 new infections after conducting 350 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.14 percent. There were no deaths and 3 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 199 fatalities and 18,716 fully recovered. There are now 89 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 130 to 43,753 after conducting 4,705 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.76 percent. There was 1 death and 88 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 494 casualties; 41,539 recovered; and 1,720 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 423 tests; it now has 4,954 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 6 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,832 fully recovered people. There are currently 20 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 77 to 9,955 after conducting 656 tests, a positivity ratio of 11.74 percent. There were 2 deaths and 43 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 293 fatalities and 9,055 fully recovered. It now has 607 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 112,654,146 people, with over 2,496,749 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now slowly recovering from a second wave of the coronavirus, aided in part by the launch of vaccination campaigns. Overall, around 88,239,672 patients of the 112.6 million+ infected have recovered thus far.