Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,267,393, against 1,214,663 recoveries and 28,344 deaths, leaving 24,386 active cases
Pakistan on Friday reported 567 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 39,200 tests—a positivity ratio of 1.45 percent.
Health authorities have warned that genomic surveillance has discovered the presence of a new variant of the coronavirus in Pakistan. Dubbed Epsilon, the variant originated in California and is believed to a mutation of the Delta variant. It is already considered the most widespread in the U.K. though has not yet been designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. According to health officials, all currently available vaccines are effective against the Epsilon variant and they have urged Pakistani citizens to get fully vaccinated to avoid the potential of a fifth wave of the pandemic in the country.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,267,393 (Tests: 20,405,357)
Punjab – 438,636
Sindh – 466,945
Balochistan – 33,159
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 177,240
Islamabad – 106,615
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,376
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,422
Deaths – 28,344
Recoveries – 1,214,663
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Friday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,267,393. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 16 to 28,344. At the same time, recoveries increased by 864 to 1,214,663, or 95.8 percent of total infections. There are currently 24,386 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,704 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Friday, authorities reported 7 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 12,883. The province now has 438,636 confirmed cases; it reported 203 new infections after administering 15,406 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.3 percent. There were 364 new recoveries recorded, leaving 417,275 fully recovered, and 8,478 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 466,945; it reported 195 new infections on Friday after conducting 8,948 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.2 percent. The province reported 3 deaths, raising toll to 7,539, and 193 new recoveries, achieving 447,024 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 12,382 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Friday reported 108 new cases after administering 9,689 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.1 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 177,240. It recorded 6 new deaths and 240 recoveries, raising toll to 5,704 and recoveries to 168,751. There are currently 2,785 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Friday raised its confirmed cases to 33,159 with 10 new infections after administering 899 tests; a positivity ratio of 1.11 percent. There were no deaths and 3 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 354 fatalities and 32,712 fully recovered. There are now 93 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Friday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 44 to 106,615 after conducting 3,419 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.3 percent. There were no deaths and 53 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 938 casualties; 105,207 recovered; and 470 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 2 new cases of coronavirus on Friday after administering 554 tests, a positivity ratio of 0.36 percent; it currently has 10,376 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 186 fatalities; 10,114 fully recovered people; and 76 active cases of COVID-19.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 5 to 34,422 after conducting 285 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.75 percent. There were no deaths and 11 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 740 fatalities and 33,580 fully recovered. It now has 102 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 243,273,624 people, with over 4,945,287 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 220,470,228 patients of the 243.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.