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Confirmed cases rise to 530,818, against 484,508 recoveries and 11,247 deaths, leaving 35,063 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday recorded 1,927 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 40,403 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.77 percent.
The Civil Aviation Authority on Friday issued fresh guidelines for international flights crews originating from either the U.K. or Britain, stating that they could not be allowed inside the country without a negative PCR test. Upon landing, it added, the crew would be immediately quarantined and would be tested for COVID-19 if they show any symptoms. However, the new standard operating procedure is not applicable on travelers who don’t show any visible symptoms of the virus.
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 – 530,818 (Tests: 7,602,380)
Punjab – 152,925
Sindh – 239,935
Balochistan – 18,715
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 64,945
Islamabad – 40,629
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,899
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,770
Deaths – 11,247
Recoveries – 484,508
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 530,818. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 43 to 11,247. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,737 to 484,508, or 91.3 percent of total infections. There are currently 35,063 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,283 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 14 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,537. The province now has 152,925 confirmed cases; it reported 767 new infections after conducting 18,729 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.09 percent. There were 342 new recoveries recorded, leaving 136,987 fully recovered, and 11,401 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 239,935; it reported 749 new infections on Saturday after conducting 6,760 tests, a positivity ratio of 11.08 percent. The province reported 20 new deaths, raising toll to 3,875, while its recoveries rose by 943 to 217,863. Overall, the province now has 18,197 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 294 new infections after conducting 6,664 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.41 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 64,945. It recorded 3 new deaths, raising toll to 1,826, while its recoveries have risen by 284 to 59,897. There are currently 3,222 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 18,715 with 19 new infections after conducting 624 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.04 percent. There were no deaths and 30 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 192 fatalities and 18,235 fully recovered. There are now 288 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 81 to 40,629 after conducting 6,860 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.18 percent. There were 2 deaths and 120 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 463 casualties; 38,534 recovered; and 1,632 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 445 tests; it now has 4,899 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,765 fully recovered people. There are currently 32 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 17 to 8,770 after conducting 321 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.29 percent. There were 4 deaths and 18 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 252 fatalities and 8,227 fully recovered. It now has 291 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 98,748,510 people, with over 2,116,437 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 70,920,474 patients of the 98.7 million+ infected have recovered thus far.