File photo
Confirmed infections hit 492,594 against 448,393 recoveries and 10,461 deaths, leaving 33,740 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 2,118 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,917 tests—a positivity ratio of 5.44 percent.
The Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday announced that passengers from over 20 countries had been exempted from requiring a negative COVID-19 test before entering Pakistan. According to a notification, the CAA said that travelers from Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, China, Cuba, Fiji, Finland, Ghana, Iceland, Iraq, Madagascar, Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Togo, Vietnam and Zambia did not need any extra precautions before entering Pakistan. It said that international passengers from all other countries required a PCR test secured a maximum of 96 hours before commencing travel to Pakistan.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 56,531, 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 – 492,594 (Tests: 6,923,857)
Punjab – 142,058
Sindh – 220,501
Balochistan – 18,280
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 59,955
Islamabad – 38,531
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,873
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,396
Deaths – 10,461
Recoveries – 448,393
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 492,594. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 52 to 10,461. At the same time, recoveries increased by 4,033 to 448,393, or 91 percent of total infections. There are currently 33,740 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,243 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 24 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,184. The province now has 142,058 confirmed cases; it reported 665 new infections after conducting 15,997 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.16 percent. There were 2,550 new recoveries recorded, leaving 128,775 fully recovered, and 9,099 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 220,501; it reported 1,049 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 12,457 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.42 percent. The province reported 11 new deaths, raising toll to 3,634, while its recoveries rose by 707 to 198,577. Overall, the province now has 18,290 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 226 new infections after conducting 4,521 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.99 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 59,955. It recorded 12 new deaths, raising toll to 1,695, while its recoveries have risen by 357 to 55,025. There are currently 3,235 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 18,280 with 26 new infections after conducting 466 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.58 percent. There was 1 death and 28 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities and 17,857 fully recovered. There are now 237 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 136 to 38,531 after conducting 4,870 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.79 percent. There were 4 deaths and 356 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 432 casualties; 35,609 recovered; and 2,490 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 3 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 357 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.84 percent. It now has 4,873 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 101 fatalities and 4,717 fully recovered people. There are currently 55 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 13 to 8,396 after conducting 249 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.22 percent. There were no deaths and 35 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 229 fatalities and 7,833 fully recovered. It now has 334 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 86,834,916 people, with over 1,875,520 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 61,533,599 patients of the 86.8 million+ infected have recovered thus far.