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Confirmed infections hit 499,517 against 455,445 recoveries and 10,598 deaths, leaving 33,474 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday recorded 2,007 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 40,898 tests—a positivity ratio of 4.91 percent.
Pakistan on Friday established its first coronavirus vaccination center in Islamabad, with authorities saying local citizens can register for vaccinations by signing up via helpline 1166. According to Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Nausheen Hamid, the center would also train vaccinators. She said that the country expects to receive its first shipment of the vaccine by the end of the month.
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 – 499,517 (Tests: 7,043,604)
Punjab – 144,111
Sindh – 224,004
Balochistan – 18,351
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 60,751
Islamabad – 38,970
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,879
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,451
Deaths – 10,598
Recoveries – 455,445
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 499,517. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 40 to 10,598. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,617 to 455,445, or 91.2 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,474 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,266 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 21 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,242. The province now has 144,111 confirmed cases; it reported 600 new infections after conducting 15,438 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.89 percent. There were 531 new recoveries recorded, leaving 129,852 fully recovered, and 10,017active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 224,004; it reported 1,005 new infections on Saturday after conducting 12,904 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.79 percent. The province reported 9 new deaths, raising toll to 3,679, while its recoveries rose by 536 to 202,570. Overall, the province now has 17,755 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 215 new infections after conducting 6,246 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.44 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 60,751. It recorded 8 new deaths, raising toll to 1,718, while its recoveries have risen by 200 to 55,928. There are currently 3,105 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its confirmed cases to 18,351 with 37 new infections after conducting 613 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.03 percent. There was 1 death and 5 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 187 fatalities and 17,898 fully recovered. There are now 266 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 128 to 38,970 after conducting 4,980 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.57 percent. There were no deaths and 315 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 436 casualties; 36,546 recovered; and 1,988 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 374 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.27 percent. It now has 4,879 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 1 recovery, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,728 fully recovered people. There are currently 50 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 21 to 8,451 after conducting 343 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.12 percent. There was 1 death and 29 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 235 fatalities and 7,923 fully recovered. It now has 293 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 89,358,774 people, with over 1,922,156 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 64,010,238 patients of the 89.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.