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Confirmed cases climb to 473,309 against 423,892 recoveries and 9,929 deaths, leaving 39,488 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 1,974 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 32,205 tests—a positivity ratio of 6.13 percent.
Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan over the weekend confirmed that Islamabad would allow private sector companies to import COVID-19 vaccines to support the state’s procurement. However, he added, that the government had yet to finalize deals with any vaccine manufacturers, noting that negotiations were ongoing with China and Russia to ensure frontline workers and senior citizens would be inoculated first and foremost.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 54,319, with daily testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 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 – 473,309 (Tests: 6,589,317)
Punjab – 136,147
Sindh – 211,276
Balochistan – 18,082
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 57,467
Islamabad – 37,272
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,850
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,215
Deaths – 9,929
Recoveries – 423,892
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 473,309. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 55 to 9,929. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,760 to 423,892, or 89.6 percent of total infections. There are currently 39,488 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,263 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 21 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 3,921. The province now has 136,147 confirmed cases; it reported 482 new infections after conducting 11,859 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.06 percent. There were 291 new recoveries recorded, leaving 122,280 fully recovered, and 9,946 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 211,276; it reported 1,035 new infections on Monday after conducting 12,021 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.61 percent. The province reported 22 new deaths, raising toll to 3,491, while its recoveries rose by 732 to 187,767. Overall, the province now has 20,018 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 252 new infections after conducting 4,885 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.16 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 57,467. It recorded 7 new deaths, raising toll to 1,609, while its recoveries have risen by 376 to 51,928. There are currently 3,930 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its confirmed cases to 18,082 with 7 new infections after conducting 258 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.71 percent. There were no deaths and 33 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 182 fatalities and 17,619 fully recovered. There are now 281 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 155 to 37,272 after conducting 2,609 tests; a positivity ratio of 5.94 percent. There were 3 deaths and 248 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 407 casualties; 32,143 recovered; and 4,722 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday after conducting 230 tests, leaving 4,850 confirmed cases. The region likewise reported no deaths and 3 recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,686 fully recovered people. There are currently 63 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 43 to 8,215 after conducting 343 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.54 percent. There were 77 recoveries and 2 deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 218 fatalities and 7,469 fully recovered. It now has 528 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 81,144,994 people, with over 1,771,981 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 57,293,765 patients of the 81.1 million+ infected have recovered thus far.