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Confirmed infections rise to 537,477, against 492,207 recoveries and 11,450 deaths, leaving 33,820 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 1,563 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 41,285 tests—a positivity ratio of 3.78 percent.
Leader of the House in the Senate Dr. Shahzad Waseem on Tuesday told the Upper House that the government was finalizing a criteria for COVID-19 vaccinations, reiterating that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan had already approved two vaccines for emergency-use. He said the process of vaccine imports would start “soon,” and stressed that the vaccination was an “important, national” issue.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 57,531, 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 – 537,477 (Tests: 7,764,114)
Punjab – 155,214
Sindh – 242,793
Balochistan – 18,765
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 65,953
Islamabad – 40,972
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,903
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,877
Deaths – 11,450
Recoveries – 492,207
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 537,477. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 74 to 11,450. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,081 to 492,207, or 91.6 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,820 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,165 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 38 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,646. The province now has 155,214 confirmed cases; it reported 497 new infections after conducting 16,704 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.97 percent. There were 466 new recoveries recorded, leaving 139,887 fully recovered, and 10,681 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 242,793; it reported 739 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 11,083 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.67 percent. The province reported 25 new deaths, raising toll to 3,925, while its recoveries rose by 1,055 to 221,007. Overall, the province now has 17,861 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 213 new infections after conducting 6,537 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.26 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 65,953. It recorded 9 new deaths, raising toll to 1,857, while its recoveries have risen by 388 to 60,950. There are currently 3,146 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,765 with 11 new infections after conducting 373 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.95 percent. There were no deaths and 22 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 193 fatalities and 18,315 fully recovered. There are now 257 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 80 to 40,972 after conducting 5,994 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.33 percent. There was 1 death and 127 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 469 casualties; 38,970 recovered; and 1,533 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 323 tests; it has 4,903 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 6 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,781 fully recovered people. There are currently 20 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 22 to 8,877 after conducting 271 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.12 percent. There was 1 death and 17 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 258 fatalities and 8,297 fully recovered. It now has 322 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 100,836,681 people, with over 2,167,092 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now reeling from a second wave of the coronavirus, with many countries imposing fresh lockdowns or targeted closures in a bid to curb its spread ahead of mass distribution of vaccines. Overall, around 72,842,517 patients of the 100.8 million+ infected have recovered thus far.