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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,320,120, against 1,263,005 recoveries and 29,003 deaths, leaving 28,112 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 4,286 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 52,522 tests—a positivity ratio of 8.16 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday announced that it was lowering the eligible age for COVID-19 booster jabs to 18 years old, effective from today (Saturday). Earlier, booster shots were restricted to Pakistanis aged 30 and above. “In today’s NCOC session, the age limit for a booster dose has been further reduced. From tomorrow onwards, citizens over 18 years will be eligible for a free booster dose of their choice,” read a statement issued by the forum. “Booster (one dose) will be administered after 6 months gap from complete vaccination,” it said, adding that restrictions on larger gatherings were also under consideration to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,320,120 (Tests: 24,085,473)
Punjab – 451,408
Sindh – 497,153
Balochistan – 33,684
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 182,100
Islamabad – 110,597
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,439
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,739
Deaths – 29,003
Recoveries – 1,263,005
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,320,120. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 4 to 29,003. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,598 to 1,263,005, or 95.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 28,112 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 709 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 2 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,087. The province now has 451,408 confirmed cases; it reported 722 new infections after administering 18,757 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.85 percent. There were 175 new recoveries recorded, leaving 430,433 fully recovered, and 7,888 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 497,153; it reported 3,089 new infections on Saturday after conducting 15,719 tests, a positivity ratio of 19.6 percent. The province reported no deaths and 2,339 recoveries, leaving 7,693 deaths and 471,845 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 17,615 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Saturday reported 104 new cases after administering 11,784 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.88 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 182,100. It recorded 1 new death and 15 recoveries, raising toll to 5,953 and recoveries to 175,372. There are currently 775 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its total confirmed cases to 33,684, reporting 2 new infections after conducting 349 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.57 percent. There were no deaths and 6 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 367 fatalities and 33,272 fully recovered. There are now 45 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases to 110,597, reporting 354 new cases after conducting 5,093 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.95 percent. There was 1 death and 59 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 968 casualties; 107,903 recovered; and 1,726 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 2 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 323 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.62 percent; it currently has 10,439 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,243 fully recovered people; and 10 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 497 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.6 percent, raising confirmed cases to 34,739. There were no deaths and 4 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 749 fatalities and 33,937 fully recovered. It now has 53 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 324,355,437 people, with over 5,547,658 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 265,332,870 patients of the 324.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.