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Confirmed infections reach 612,315, against 575,867 recoveries and 13,656 deaths, leaving 22,792 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 2,351 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,799 tests—a positivity ratio of 6.06 percent.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday announced it was closing schools in nine districts of the province due to a surge in new infections of the coronavirus. A provincial task force for coronavirus decided schools should be closed in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kohat, Malakand, Swat, and Lower Dir. It said schools in the remaining districts could also be shut if the positivity ratio of COVID-19 cases rises above 10 percent in them.
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 – 612,315 (Tests: 9,603,865)
Punjab – 189,362
Sindh – 261,823
Balochistan – 19,247
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 76,819
Islamabad – 48,938
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,965
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 11,161
Deaths – 13,656
Recoveries – 575,867
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 612,315. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 61 to 13,656. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,853 to 575,867, or 94 percent of total infections. There are currently 22,792 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,978 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 41 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,853. The province now has 189,362 confirmed cases; it reported 1,137 new infections after conducting 29,859 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.81 percent. There were 2,133 new recoveries recorded, leaving 173,289 fully recovered, and 10,220 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 261,823; it reported 241 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 17,389 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.39 percent. The province reported 7 new deaths, raising toll to 4,468, while its recoveries rose by 184 to 253,041. Overall, the province now has 4,314 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 440 new infections after conducting 13,206 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.33 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 76,819. It recorded 10 new deaths, raising toll to 2,179, while its recoveries have risen by 243 to 71,104. There are currently 3,536 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 19,247 with 14 new infections after conducting 943 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.49 percent. There were no deaths and 6 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 202 fatalities and 18,896 fully recovered. There are now 149 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 443 to 48,938 after conducting 10,629 tests; a positivity ratio of 4.17 percent. There were 3 deaths and 227 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 529 casualties; 44,636 recovered; and 3,773 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 4 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 711 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.56 percent; it now has 4,965 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,856 fully recovered people. There are currently 6 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 72 to 11,161 after conducting 1,365 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.27 percent. There were no deaths and 60 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 322 fatalities and 10,045 fully recovered. It now has 794 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 121,278,064 people, with over 2,682,256 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 97,808,292 patients of the 121.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.