Courtesy PID
Confirmed cases rise to 403,311 against 345,365 recoveries and 8,166 deaths, leaving 49,780 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 2,829 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 35,197 tests—a positivity ratio of 8.04 percent.
Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan on Tuesday told a press conference that the government hoped to procure and commence vaccinations of Pakistanis in the first quarter of 2021. He said that the vaccinations would be conducted in multiple phases, with frontline workers receiving the first inoculations, followed by the elderly population, at-risk people, and finally the general population. He also said that the government hoped to provide the vaccine for free to ensure that everyone could avail it.
Pakistan is now in the midst of a second wave of the coronavirus, but has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 74,607, with daily testing still significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which studies suggest comprise the majority of infections nationwide.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 403,311 (Tests: 5,584,976)
Punjab – 120,356
Sindh – 175,642
Balochistan – 17,215
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 47,701
Islamabad – 30,748
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,667
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 6,982
Deaths – 8,166
Recoveries – 345,365
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 403,311. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 75 to 8,166—the highest single-day toll since July 11. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,079 to 345,365, or 85.6 percent of total infections. There are currently 49,780 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 2,244 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Tuesday, authorities reported 30 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 3,066. The province now has 120,356 confirmed cases; it reported 778 new infections after conducting 15,239 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.1 percent. There were 224 new recoveries recorded, leaving 98,825 fully recovered, and 18,465 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 175,642; it reported 1,292 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 9,752 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.25 percent. The province reported 27 new deaths, raising toll to 2,962, while its recoveries rose by 1,043 to 153,642. Overall, the province now has 19,038 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 331 new infections after conducting 4,204 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.87 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 47,701. It recorded 6 new deaths, raising toll to 1,375, while its recoveries have risen by 266 to 42,130. There are currently 4,196 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 17,215 with 28 new infections after conducting 271 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.33 percent. There were 2 deaths and 52 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 169 fatalities and 16,466 fully recovered. There are now 580 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 342 to 30,748 after conducting 5,008 tests; a positivity ratio of 6.83 percent. There were 6 deaths and 403 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 324 casualties; 24,546 recovered; and 5,878 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday increased by 9 to 4,667 after conducting 336 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.68 percent. The region reported no deaths and 11 recoveries, leaving 97 fatalities and 4,393 fully recovered people. There are currently 177 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 49 to 6,982 after conducting 387 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.66 percent. There were 80 recoveries and 4 deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 173 fatalities and 5,363 fully recovered. It now has 1,446 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 64,194,674 people, with over 1,486,829 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 the upcoming winter holidays. Overall, around 44,441,249 patients of the 64.2 million+ infected have recovered thus far.