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Confirmed cases climb to 462,814 against 415,352 recoveries and 9,557 deaths, leaving 37,905 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 2,142 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 35,621 tests—a positivity ratio of 6.01 percent.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Qasim Khan on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs. 200,000 on a petitioner who claimed that the novel coronavirus did not exist. Petitioner Azhar Abbas alleged the virus “does not exist” and as such cannot be “spread by touching or meeting anyone.” To this, the chief justice said the petitioner’s points stood invalid and his claims appeared to suggest he did not want the virus cured.
Despite a severe second wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 54,519, 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 – 462,814 (Tests: 6,406,281)
Punjab – 133,179
Sindh – 206,489
Balochistan – 17,980
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 55,811
Islamabad – 36,483
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,832
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,040
Deaths – 9,557
Recoveries – 415,352
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 462,814. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 84 to 9,557. At the same time, recoveries increased by 4,415 to 415,352, or 89.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 37,905 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,419 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 44 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 3,732. The province now has 133,179 confirmed cases; it reported 653 new infections after conducting 15,214 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.29 percent. There were 1,002 new recoveries recorded, leaving 121,112 fully recovered, and 8,335 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 206,489; it reported 1,005 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 10,914 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.21 percent. The province reported 27 new deaths, raising toll to 3,379, while its recoveries rose by 2,590 to 184,192. Overall, the province now has 18,918 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 361 new infections after conducting 4,480 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.06 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 55,811. It recorded 10 new deaths, raising toll to 1,563, while its recoveries have risen by 295 to 49,740. There are currently 4,508 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 17,980 with 30 new infections after conducting 380 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.89 percent. There were no deaths and 69 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 179 fatalities and 17,477 fully recovered. There are now 324 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 67 to 36,483 after conducting 3,770 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.78 percent. There was 1 death and 359 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 394 casualties; 31,120 recovered; and 4,969 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday increased by 1 to 4,832 after conducting 396 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.25 percent. The region reported no deaths and 3 recoveries, leaving 99 fatalities and 4,639 fully recovered people. There are currently 94 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 25 to 8,040 after conducting 467 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.35 percent. There were 97 recoveries and 1 death in the past 24 hours, leaving 211 fatalities and 7,072 fully recovered. It now has 757 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 78,366,297 people, with over 1,724,039 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 55,128,559 patients of the 78.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.