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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,290,491, against 1,252,157 recoveries and 28,863 deaths, leaving 9,471 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 277 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 41,927 tests—a positivity ratio of 0.66 percent.
An upcoming one-day international series between Pakistan and the West Indies was on Thursday postponed till June 2022 after nine members of the West Indies’ squad tested positive for the coronavirus following their arrival to Karachi on Dec. 9. In a joint statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies said the players and staff that had tested negative would return home Thursday night, while the ones who had tested positive would complete their isolation in Karachi before resuming their travel to be able to rejoin their families in time for Christmas.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,290,491 (Tests: 22,730,952)
Punjab – 444,074
Sindh – 478,717
Balochistan – 33,540
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 180,887
Islamabad – 108,215
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,428
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,630
Deaths – 28,863
Recoveries – 1,252,157
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,290,491. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 14 to 28,863. At the same time, recoveries increased by 243 to 1,252,157, or 97 percent of total infections. There are currently 9,471 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 718 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 2 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,055. The province now has 444,074 confirmed cases; it reported 42 new infections after administering 15,777 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.27 percent. There were 40 new recoveries recorded, leaving 427,851 fully recovered, and 3,168 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 478,717; it reported 153 new infections on Friday after conducting 10,704 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.43 percent. The province reported 8 deaths and 75 recoveries, raising toll to 7,648 and total recovered to 465,840. Overall, the province now has 5,229 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Friday reported 62 new cases after administering 9,691 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.64 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 180,887. It recorded 3 new deaths and 97 recoveries, raising toll to 5,903 and recoveries to 174,314. There are currently 670 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday maintained its total confirmed cases at 33,540, reporting no new infections after conducting 502 tests. There were no deaths and 3 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 363 fatalities and 33,139 fully recovered. There are now 38 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 17 to 108,215 after conducting 4,580 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.37 percent. There were no deaths and 25 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 963 casualties; 106,949 recovered; and 303 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of coronavirus on Friday after conducting 260 tests; it currently has 10,428 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,229 fully recovered people; and 13 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported 3 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 413 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.73 percent. There was 1 death and 3 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 745 fatalities and 33,835 fully recovered. It now has 50 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 273,237,321 people, with over 5,353,127 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 245,306,190 patients of the 273.2 million+ infected have recovered thus far.