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Confirmed infections climb to 426,412 against 372,271 recoveries and 8,547 deaths, leaving 45,324 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 2,963 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,092 tests—a positivity ratio of 7.78 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday told a private TV channel that the number of COVID-19 patients was increasing daily, adding that the second wave was proving more lethal than the first. He reiterated his calls for the public to adopt preventative measures to curb the spread of the virus, and said the opposition should suspend its rallies to effectively counter the pandemic.
Pakistan is now in the midst of a second wave of the coronavirus, but has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 75,307, 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 – 426,412 (Tests: 5,865,944)
Punjab – 124,804
Sindh – 187,684
Balochistan – 17,540
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 50,506
Islamabad – 33,420
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,761
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 7,427
Deaths – 8,547
Recoveries – 372,271
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 426,412. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 60 to 8,547. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,797 to 372,271, or 87.54percent of total infections. There are currently 45,324 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the National Command and Operation Center saying 2,498 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 24 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 3,242. The province now has 124,804 confirmed cases; it reported 613 new infections after conducting 15,691 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.91 percent. There were 110 new recoveries recorded, leaving 111,720 fully recovered, and 9,842 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 187,684; it reported 1,472 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 11,242 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.09 percent. The province reported 21 new deaths, raising toll to 3,081, while its recoveries rose by 1,108 to 162,041. Overall, the province now has 22,562 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government has recorded 428 new infections after conducting 4,051 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.56 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 50,506. It recorded 10 new deaths, raising toll to 1,429, while its recoveries have risen by 237 to 44,526. There are currently 4,551 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 17,540 with 39 new infections after conducting 604 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.46 percent. There was 1 death and 52 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 170 fatalities and 16,857 fully recovered. There are now 513 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 359 to 33,420 after conducting 5,719 tests; a positivity ratio of 6.27 percent. There were 4 deaths and 192 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 345 casualties; 26,795 recovered; and 6,280 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday increased by 15 to 4,761 after conducting 406 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.69 percent. The region reported no deaths and 44 recoveries, leaving 98 fatalities and 4,503 fully recovered people. There are currently 160 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 37 to 7,427 after conducting 379 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.76 percent. There were 77 recoveries and no deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 182 fatalities and 5,829 fully recovered. It now has 1,416 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 68,567,526 people, with over 1,563,130 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 47,462,104 patients of the 68.5 million+ infected have recovered thus far.