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Confirmed cases rise to 527,146, against 480,696 recoveries and 11,157 deaths, leaving 35,293 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday recorded 2,363 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 43,744 tests—a positivity ratio of 5.4 percent.
India on Wednesday started delivering COVID-19 vaccines to its neighbors—barring Pakistan—with the foreign ministry describing it as a goodwill gesture for friendly nations. The first shipment of 150,000 doses has already been sent to Bhutan, while Delhi has also announced that it would sending 100,000 doses to the Maldives; 2 million doses to Bangladesh; and 1 million doses to Nepal.
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 – 527,146 (Tests: 7,525,432)
Punjab – 151,603
Sindh – 238,470
Balochistan – 18,670
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 64,373
Islamabad – 40,430
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,894
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 8,706
Deaths – 11,157
Recoveries – 480,696
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 527,146. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 54 to 11,157. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,179 to 480,696, or 91.2 percent of total infections. There are currently 35,293 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,324 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 25 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 4,501. The province now has 151,603 confirmed cases; it reported 714 new infections after conducting 16,635 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.29 percent. There were 467 new recoveries recorded, leaving 135,892 fully recovered, and 11,210 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 238,470; it reported 1,162 new infections on Thursday after conducting 13,632 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.52 percent. The province reported 13 new deaths, raising toll to 3,843, while its recoveries rose by 1,044 to 216,145. Overall, the province now has 18,482 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 295 new infections after conducting 6,234 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.73 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 64,373. It recorded 12 new deaths, raising toll to 1,811, while its recoveries have risen by 475 to 59,278. There are currently 3,284 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Thursday raised its confirmed cases to 18,670 with 30 new infections after conducting 584 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.14 percent. There was 1 death and 42 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 192 fatalities and 18,161 fully recovered. There are now 317 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 126 to 40,430 after conducting 5,798 tests; a positivity ratio of 2.17 percent. There were no deaths and 130 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 460 casualties; 38,278 recovered; and 1,692 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 2 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday after conducting 419 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.47 percent; it now has 4,894 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths and 2 recoveries, leaving 102 fatalities and 4,765 fully recovered people. There are currently 27 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 34 to 8,706 after conducting 442 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.69 percent. There were 3 deaths and 19 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 248 fatalities and 8,177 fully recovered. It now has 281 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 97,309,750 people, with over 2,083,326 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 69,850,852 patients of the 97.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.