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Confirmed infections reach 609,964, against 573,014 recoveries and 13,595 deaths, leaving 23,355 active cases
Pakistan on Tuesday reported 2,511 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 35,303 tests—a positivity ratio of 7.11 percent.
Sindh province followed Punjab and the federal capital on Monday and re-imposed restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 during the third wave that is sweeping the nation. Under the guidelines issue, all commercial activities must close by 10 p.m.; 50 percent of all office staff must work from home; and there will be a strict ban on indoor weddings and indoor dining at restaurants.
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 – 609,964 (Tests: 9,565,066)
Punjab – 188,225
Sindh – 261,582
Balochistan – 19,233
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 76,379
Islamabad – 48,495
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,961
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 11,089
Deaths – 13,595
Recoveries – 573,014
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Tuesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 609,964. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 58 to 13,595. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,136 to 573,014, or 93.9 percent of total infections. There are currently 23,355 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,895 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 43 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 5,812. The province now has 188,225 confirmed cases; it reported 1,566 new infections after conducting 13,727 tests, a positivity ratio of 11.41 percent. There were 461 new recoveries recorded, leaving 171,156 fully recovered, and 11,257 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 261,582; it reported 171 new infections on Tuesday after conducting 8,511 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.1 percent. The province reported 3 new deaths, raising toll to 4,461, while its recoveries rose by 144 to 252,857. Overall, the province now has 4,264 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 275 new infections after conducting 6,205 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.43 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 76,379. It recorded 10 new deaths, raising toll to 2,169, while its recoveries have risen by 206 to 70,861. There are currently 3,349 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Tuesday raised its confirmed cases to 19,233 with 13 new infections after conducting 398 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.27 percent. There were no deaths and 9 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 202 fatalities and 18,890 fully recovered. There are now 141 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Tuesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 414 to 48,495 after conducting 5,369 tests; a positivity ratio of 7.71 percent. There were no deaths and 257 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 526 casualties; 44,409 recovered; and 3,560 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday after conducting 377 tests; it now has 4,961 confirmed cases. The region reported no deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,856 fully recovered people. There are currently 2 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 72 to 11,089 after conducting 716 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.05 percent. There were 2 deaths and 59 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 322 fatalities and 9,985 fully recovered. It now has 782 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 120,773,766 people, with over 2,672,203 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 97,418,382 patients of the 120.7 million+ infected have recovered thus far.