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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,289,293, against 1,251,409 recoveries and 28,836 deaths, leaving 9,048 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 244 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 39,387 tests—a positivity ratio of 0.62 percent.
The National Institute of Health is expected to receive the genomic sampling results of three suspected cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant today (Monday), with officials stressing that while the suspected infections have some characteristics of Omicron, they could be another variant entirely. “There can be a new mutation in the virus and we may find a new variant just like Omicron reported in South Africa,” an official told daily Dawn on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, three West Indies cricketers and a member of the team’s staff have tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival to Pakistan, preventing them from participating in an upcoming series.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,289,293 (Tests: 22,564,577)
Punjab – 443,886
Sindh – 478,017
Balochistan – 33,532
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 180,696
Islamabad – 108,128
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,426
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,608
Deaths – 28,836
Recoveries – 1,251,409
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,289,293. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 6 to 28,836. At the same time, recoveries increased by 308 to 1,251,409, or 97.1 percent of total infections. There are currently 9,048 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 731 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 1 death due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,052. The province now has 443,886 confirmed cases; it reported 47 new infections after administering 15,648 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.3 percent. There were 183 new recoveries recorded, leaving 427,633 fully recovered, and 3,201 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 478,017; it reported 148 new infections on Monday after conducting 10,228 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.45 percent. The province reported 2 deaths and 49 recoveries, raising toll to 7,638 and total recovered to 465,683. Overall, the province now has 4,696 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Monday reported 35 new cases after administering 8,127 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.43 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 180,696. It recorded 3 new deaths and 38 recoveries, raising toll to 5,892 and recoveries to 174,099. There are currently 705 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its total confirmed cases to 33,532, reporting 1 new infection after conducting 551 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.18 percent. There were no deaths and 2 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 363 fatalities and 33,127 fully recovered. There are now 42 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 11 to 108,128 after conducting 4,246 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.26 percent. There were no deaths and 34 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 962 casualties; 106,820 recovered; and 346 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of coronavirus on Monday after conducting 192 tests; it currently has 10,426 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,224 fully recovered people; and 16 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 350 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.57 percent. There were no deaths and 2 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 743 fatalities and 33,823 fully recovered. It now has 42 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 270,430,922 people, with over 5,322,088 reported deaths. After having passed through multiple waves of the pandemic, the world is divided between countries that are struggling to counter mutated variants, or have introduced vaccination boosters to maintain normalcy. There are mounting calls, especially from the World Health Organization, for “vaccine equality,” i.e. for developed nations to stop hoarding vaccines in excess of their requirements and to share them with the developing world to help prevent the mutation of new variants. Overall, around 243,106,777 patients of the 270.4 million+ infected have recovered thus far.