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Confirmed cases hit 290,445 against 272,128 recoveries and 6,201 deaths, leaving 12,116 active cases
Pakistan on Wednesday reported 613 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 22,859 tests—a positivity ratio of 2.7 percent.
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Tuesday claimed Pakistan’s “successful” response to the COVID-19 pandemic was the result of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s prioritizing the welfare of the people. “I think the main reason was that Imran Khan thought about these [lower income] people from the start. We took quick and timely decisions and generated employment for people,” he said, adding that the government had managed to curb the spread of the virus and protect the economy from total collapse.
Pakistan’s welcome decline in daily infections and deaths, meanwhile, has encountered some trepidation from observers who warn that the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 67,340—reduced from a peak of 71,780—and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers. Medical experts have also warned that the government’s decision to end nearly all movement restrictions at once risks a second wave of the virus.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 290,445 (Tests: 2,340,072)
Punjab – 95,742 (Tests: 840,302)
Sindh – 126,743 (Tests: 898,296)
Balochistan – 12,370 (Tests: 69,570)
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 35,401 (Tests: 235,599)
Islamabad – 15,412 (Tests: 225,487)
Gilgit-Baltistan – 2,565 (Tests: 20,144)
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 2,212 (Tests: 30,571)
Deaths – 6,201
Recoveries – 272,128
In the 24 hours preceding 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 290,445, while deaths increased by 11 to 6,201. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,119 to 272,128, or 93.7 percent of total infections. There are currently 12,116 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 743 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
During a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar and Defense Minister Pervaiz Khatak in Lahore on Tuesday, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar credited Prime Minister Imran Khan for Pakistan’s “successful” anti-corona policy. Qaiser and Khattak also appreciated the timely steps of the Punjab government to cope with the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, authorities reported 1 new death due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,186. The province also reported 131 new infections, raising confirmed cases to 95,742, while its recoveries have increased by 1,289 to 90,150. There are now 3,406 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Provincial Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho on Tuesday said she opposed the reopening of primary and middle schools until the COVID-19 pandemic was over. She said small children cannot be prevented from socializing, nor can it be ensured that they follow standard operating procedures, and warned that this could result in second and third waves of the coronavirus in the country.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Wednesday morning rose by 318 to 126,743. Additionally, the province’s death toll climbed by 5 to 2,336, while its recoveries rose by 392 to 120,241. Overall, the province now has 4,166 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The district administration on Tuesday imposed a “micro smart lockdown” in five areas of Mansehra following a spike in coronavirus infections in the region. According to a notification issued by the government, the decision to impose the lockdown was recommended by the district health officer. It said that the entry of people to these localities would be completely banned for everything except essential commodities.
The provincial government on Wednesday reported 3 new deaths, raising death toll to 1,242. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 125 to 32,647, while its confirmed cases have increased by 64 to 35,401. There are currently 1,512 active cases of coronavirus in the province.
Balochistan
Provincial spokesman Liaquat Shahwani on Tuesday said it was worrying that there had been a surge of new coronavirus infections in the province this past week. He told a press conference that the government had not ruled out another lockdown if the situation did not improve and urged the public to adopt all preventative measures to allow normal life to resume.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the province on Wednesday rose by 49 to 12,370. Overall, 139 people have died and 11,241 patients have fully recovered from the virus, leaving 990 active cases of COVID-19.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Wednesday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 11 to 15,412. There were no new deaths and 182 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining death toll at 175 and raising recoveries to 13,612, leaving 1,625 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan rose by 27 on Wednesday to 2,565. The region reported 1 new death, raising toll to 62, while its recoveries have increased by 22 to 2,194, leaving 309 active cases.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, confirmed cases have increased by 13 to 2,212. There was no new death and 41 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 61 fatalities and 2,043 fully recovered. It now has 108 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 22,308,044 people, with over 784,365 reported deaths. Governments across the word halted flights, locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home at the peak of the virus’s spread, but there are now signs of easements in nations that have reined it in to help shuttered economies recover. Overall, around 15,050,063 patients of the 22.3 million+ infected have recovered thus far.