Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,315,834, against 1,260,407 recoveries and 28,999 deaths, leaving 26,428 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 3,567 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 48,449 tests—a positivity ratio of 7.36 percent.
Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood on Thursday announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus once again, adding that his symptoms were mild. “I have unfortunately tested positive for coronavirus,” he wrote on Twitter. “My symptoms are mild so far and I feel fine. Hopefully with some rest will recover soon. Please continue to take all precautions specially wearing a mask at all times,” he added. This is the second time Mehmood has contracted COVID-19; he had earlier tested positive for the virus in May 2021.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,315,834 (Tests: 24,032,951)
Punjab – 450,686
Sindh – 494,064
Balochistan – 33,682
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 181,996
Islamabad – 110,243
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,437
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,726
Deaths – 28,999
Recoveries – 1,260,407
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,315,834. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 7 to 28,999. At the same time, recoveries increased by 362 to 1,260,407, or 95.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 26,428 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 675 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 1 death due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,085. The province now has 450,686 confirmed cases; it reported 843 new infections after administering 19,722 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.3 percent. There were 128 new recoveries recorded, leaving 430,258 fully recovered, and 7,343 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 494,064; it reported 2,321 new infections on Friday after conducting 12,628 tests, a positivity ratio of 18.4 percent. The province reported 2 deaths and 153 recoveries, leaving 7,693 deaths and 469,506 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 16,865 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Friday reported 90 new cases after administering 9,469 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.95 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 181,996. It recorded 4 new deaths and 22 recoveries, raising toll to 5,952 and recoveries to 175,357. There are currently 687 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its total confirmed cases to 33,682, reporting 7 new infections after conducting 361 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.9 percent. There were no deaths and 2 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 367 fatalities and 33,266 fully recovered. There are now 49 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases to 110,243, reporting 299 new cases after conducting 5,407 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.5 percent. There were no deaths and 53 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 967 casualties; 107,844 recovered; and 1,432 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of coronavirus on Friday after conducting 296 tests; it currently has 10,437 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,243 fully recovered people; and 8 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reported 7 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 566 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.2 percent, raising confirmed cases to 34,726. There were no deaths and 4 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 749 fatalities and 33,933 fully recovered. It now has 44 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 320,944,953 people, with over 5,539,160 reported deaths. The globe is in the midst of yet another COVID-19 surge, as the highly infectious Omicron variant that was originally identified in South Africa sweeps across nations. While the new variant has been deemed less deadly than earlier iterations of the coronavirus, health experts have stressed that even a “mild” case can prove debilitating and urged people to exercise caution, wear masks, and avoid large gatherings. The World Health Organization continues to call 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, stressing that deploying vaccine boosters for the already vaccinated does not help counter the mutation of new variants in populations that have yet to be inoculated. Overall, around 264,105,068 patients of the 320.9 million+ infected have recovered thus far.