Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections reach 607,453, against 571,878 recoveries and 13,537 deaths, leaving 22,038 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 2,253 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 44,061 tests—a positivity ratio of 5.11 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Center, on Sunday told Geo News that the government could increase the $150 million allocated for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines if it were required, dispelling a statement by the National Health Service that the government did not plan to purchase any vaccines. “We have aggressively planned to vaccinate at least 60-70 percent of 110 million eligible people,” he stressed, adding that procurement of vaccines would not be halted “due to monetary considerations.”
Despite passing through two waves of COVID-19, Pakistan has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 61,177, 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 – 607,453 (Tests: 9,529,763)
Punjab – 186,659
Sindh – 261,411
Balochistan – 19,220
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 76,104
Islamabad – 48,081
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,961
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 11,017
Deaths – 13,537
Recoveries – 571,878
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 607,453. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 29 to 13,537. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,307 to 571,878, or 94.1 percent of total infections. There are currently 22,038 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,823 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 16 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,769. The province now has 186,659 confirmed cases; it reported 1,191 new infections after conducting 22,916 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.2 percent. There were 943 new recoveries recorded, leaving 170,695 fully recovered, and 10,195 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 261,411; it reported 232 new infections on Monday after conducting 8,036 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.89 percent. The province reported 5 new deaths, raising toll to 4,458, while its recoveries rose by 39 to 252,713. Overall, the province now has 4,240 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 379 new infections after conducting 6,931 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.47 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 76,104. It recorded 6 new deaths, raising toll to 2,159, while its recoveries have risen by 141 to 70,655. There are currently 3,290 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its confirmed cases to 19,220 with 14 new infections after conducting 483 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.9 percent. There were no deaths and 13 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 202 fatalities and 18,881 fully recovered. There are now 137 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 371 to 48,081 after conducting 4,773 tests; a positivity ratio of 7.77 percent. There were 2 deaths and 109 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 526 casualties; 44,152 recovered; and 3,403 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Monday after conducting 312 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.32 percent; it now has 4,961 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,856 fully recovered people. There is currently 2 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 65 to 11,017 after conducting 610 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.65 percent. There were no deaths and 62 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 320 fatalities and 9,926 fully recovered. It now has 771 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 120,417,107 people, with over 2,665,247 reported deaths. After a devastating first wave, the world is now slowly recovering from a second wave of the coronavirus, aided in part by the launch of vaccination campaigns. Overall, around 96,965,054 patients of the 120.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.