Courtesy PID
Confirmed cases rise to 535,914, against 490,126 recoveries and 11,376 deaths, leaving 34,412 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday recorded 1,873 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 42,587 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.39 percent.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday addressed the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development and urged the global body to expand the coverage of the COVAX facility to ensure rapid and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for developing nations. He said this would allow the developing world to spend its resources on socioeconomic development. He also reiterated an appeal for the suspension of debt repayments for the most-stressed countries until the pandemic was over.
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 – 535,914 (Tests: 7,722,829)
Punjab – 154,717
Sindh – 242,054
Balochistan – 18,754
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 65,740
Islamabad – 40,892
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,902
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,855
Deaths – 11,376
Recoveries – 490,126
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 535,914. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 58 to 11,376. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,223 to 490,126, or 91.5 percent of total infections. There are currently 34,412 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,228 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 40 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,608. The province now has 154,717 confirmed cases; it reported 700 new infections after conducting 18,156 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.85 percent. There were 527 new recoveries recorded, leaving 139,421 fully recovered, and 10,688 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 242,054; it reported 854 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 11,709 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.29 percent. The province reported 8 new deaths, raising toll to 3,990, while its recoveries rose by 471 to 219,952. Overall, the province now has 18,202 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 208 new infections after conducting 6,084 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.42 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 65,740. It recorded 9 new deaths, raising toll to 1,848, while its recoveries have risen by 86 to 60,562. There are currently 3,330 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,754 with 4 new infections after conducting 290 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.38 percent. There were no deaths and 9 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 193 fatalities and 18,293 fully recovered. There are now 268 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 77 to 40,892 after conducting 5,778 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.33 percent. There were no deaths and 106 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 468 casualties; 38,843 recovered; and 1,581 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 330 tests; it has 4,902 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 5 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,775 fully recovered people. There are currently 25 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 30 to 8,855 after conducting 240 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.5 percent. There was 1 death and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 257 fatalities and 8,280 fully recovered. It now has 318 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 100,285,517 people, with over 2,149,461 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 72,292,984 patients of the 100.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.