File photo
Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,039,695, against 943,020 recoveries and 23,462 deaths, leaving 73,213 active cases
Pakistan on Monday reported 4,858 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 56,414 tests—a positivity ratio of 8.6 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Center overseeing the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on Sunday warned that the ongoing fourth wave, driven by the Delta variant, was continuing to spread rapidly across Pakistan. In a press conference, he said that while the overall situation was better than regional neighbors, and the pace of vaccination was “improving,” he criticized the current lockdown in Sindh province, reiterating that a targeted approach that did not impact the livelihoods of people was the best approach.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,039,695 (Tests: 16,108,532)
Punjab – 357,735
Sindh – 385,414
Balochistan – 30,502
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 144,848
Islamabad – 88,093
Gilgit-Baltistan – 8,212
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 24,891
Deaths – 23,462
Recoveries – 943,020
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Monday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,039,695. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 40 to 23,462. At the same time, recoveries increased by 1,361 to 943,020, or 90.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 73,213 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 3,441 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Monday, authorities reported 8 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 11,067. The province now has 357,735 confirmed cases; it reported 815 new infections after conducting 20,049 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.06 percent. There were 368 new recoveries recorded, leaving 333,198 fully recovered, and 13,470 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 385,414; it reported 2,549 new infections on Monday after administering 18,618 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.7 percent. The province reported 20 deaths, raising toll to 6,021, while its recoveries rose by 368 to 332,777. Overall, the province now has 46,616 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Monday reported 584 new cases after conducting 10,338 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.6 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 144,848. It recorded 6 new deaths and 163 recoveries, raising toll to 4,468 and recoveries to 136,270. There are currently 4,110 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Monday raised its confirmed cases to 30,502 with 70 new infections after conducting 2,083 tests, a positivity ratio of 3.4 percent. There were no deaths and 103 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 328 fatalities and 28,975 fully recovered. There are now 1,199 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Monday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 394 to 88,093 after conducting 3,076 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.8 percent. There were no deaths and 111 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 803 casualties; 83,443 recovered; and 3,847 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday recorded 56 new cases of COVID-19 after conducting 945 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.9 percent; it now has 8,212 confirmed cases. The region reported 3 deaths and 101 recoveries, leaving 147 fatalities and 7,252 fully recovered people. There are currently 813 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 390 to 24,891 after administering 1,305 tests, a positivity ratio of 29.9 percent. There were 3 deaths and 147 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 628 fatalities and 21,105 fully recovered. It now has 3,158 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 199,022,838 people, with over 4,240,374 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, especially the Delta variant that is now driving the bulk of confirmed infections globally. Overall, around 179,631,883 patients of the 199 million+ infected have recovered thus far.