Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,283,886, against 1,241,589 recoveries and 28,704 deaths, leaving 13,593 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 411 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 44,598 tests—a positivity ratio of 0.92 percent.
The World Health Organization on Friday classified a variant of the coronavirus originally identified in South Africa as a “variant of concern,” designating it Omicron and warning that it is “highly transmissible.” According to an advisory panel, early evidence suggests an advanced risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant, though there are no indications that it could cause a more severe form of the disease. The 27-nation European Union has imposed a temporary ban on air travel from southern Africa as a result of the WHO warning.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,283,886 (Tests: 21,876,689)
Punjab – 442,876
Sindh – 475,097
Balochistan – 33,471
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 179,888
Islamabad – 107,601
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,411
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,542
Deaths – 28,704
Recoveries – 1,241,589
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,283,886. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 7 to 28,704. At the same time, recoveries increased by 300 to 1,241,589, or 96.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 13,593 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 935 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 5 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,015. The province now has 442,876 confirmed cases; it reported 72 new infections after administering 14,249 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.51 percent. There were 62 new recoveries recorded, leaving 424,728 fully recovered, and 5,133 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 475,097; it reported 279 new infections on Saturday after conducting 15,995 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.74 percent. The province reported 1 death, raising toll to 7,620, and 42 new recoveries, achieving 460,178 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 7,299 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Saturday reported 33 new cases after administering 8,791 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.37 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 179,888. It recorded 1 new death and 158 recoveries, raising toll to 5,830 and achieving recoveries of 173,281. There are currently 777 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its total confirmed cases to 33,471, reporting 4 new infections after conducting 596 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.67 percent. There were no deaths and 7 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 359 fatalities and 33,043 fully recovered. There are now 69 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 21 to 107,601 after conducting 4,555 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.46 percent. There were no deaths and 28 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 952 casualties; 106,380 recovered; and 269 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported no new cases of coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 296 tests; it currently has 10,411 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,211 fully recovered people; and 14 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported 2 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 116 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.72 percent. There were no deaths and 3 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 742 fatalities and 33,768 fully recovered. It now has 32 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 260,908,938 people, with over 5,206,804 reported deaths. After having passed through multiple waves of the pandemic, the world is divided between countries that are either in the midst of new waves driven by mutated variants, or have launched mass vaccination drives that are allowing them to reopen safely. There are mounting calls, including 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 curb the spread of new mutated variants. Overall, around 235,699,202 patients of the 260.9 million+ infected have recovered thus far.