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Confirmed infections reach 637,042, against 586,228 recoveries and 13,965 deaths, leaving 36,849 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 3,301 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 38,282 tests—a positivity ratio of 8.6 percent.
Leading religious scholars of the country have issued a fatwa declaring vaccination against the coronavirus “legal and permissible” in accordance with shariah. In a press conference, Special Assistant to the P.M. on Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi said that the inoculations were needed to curb the ongoing pandemic. “This decree has been issued with the consent and consultation of ulema, muftis, and leading religious scholars of Darul Ifta Pakistan,” he added.
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 – 637,042 (Tests: 9,895,515)
Punjab – 202,743
Sindh – 263,664
Balochistan – 19,374
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 81,204
Islamabad – 53,136
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,975
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 11,946
Deaths – 13,965
Recoveries – 586,228
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 637,042. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 30 to 13,965. At the same time, recoveries increased by 957 to 586,228, or 92 percent of total infections. There are currently 36,849 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 2,564 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Wednesday, authorities reported 9 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 6,048. The province now has 200,969 confirmed cases; it reported 1,774 new infections after conducting 17,933 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.89 percent. There were 44 new recoveries recorded, leaving 178,942 fully recovered, and 17,753 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 263,664; it reported 200 new infections on Wednesday after conducting 6,304 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.17 percent. The province reported 3 new deaths, raising toll to 4,482, while its recoveries rose by 146 to 253,981. Overall, the province now has 5,201 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
In the past 24 hours, the provincial government recorded 685 new infections after conducting 6,786 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.09 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 81,204. It recorded 13 new deaths, raising toll to 2,238, while its recoveries have risen by 448 to 72,948. There are currently 6,018 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Wednesday raised its confirmed cases to 19,374 with 27 new infections after conducting 684 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.95 percent. There were no deaths and 17 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 203 fatalities and 18,975 fully recovered. There are now 196 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 460 to 53,136 after conducting 5,226 tests; a positivity ratio of 8.8 percent. There were 4 deaths and 249 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 552 casualties; 46,067 recovered; and 6,517 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 1 new case of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday after conducting 279 tests; it now has 4,975 confirmed cases. The region reported no new deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,856 fully recovered people. There are currently 16 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 154 to 11,946 after conducting 1,070 tests, a positivity ratio of 14.39 percent. There was 1 death and 53 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 339 fatalities and 10,459 fully recovered. It now has 1,148 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 124,803,116 people, with over 2,746,273 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 100,831,021 patients of the 124.8 million+ infected have recovered thus far.