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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,345,801, against 1,265,665 recoveries and 29,042 deaths, leaving 51,094 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday reported 6,808 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 58,943 tests—a positivity ratio of 11.55 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Wednesday tightened restrictions in cities/districts with positivity over 10 percent, banning indoor dining and weddings and mandating indoor gyms and cinemas to operate at 50 percent capacity for only fully vaccinated individuals. The forum, which oversees the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said it would meet again on Jan. 27 to review the results of its latest measures and urged all citizens to get vaccinated, wear masks in public places, and avoid large gatherings to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,345,801 (Tests: 24,356,373)
Punjab – 456,992
Sindh – 513,046
Balochistan – 33,780
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 182,950
Islamabad – 113,688
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,461
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 34,884
Deaths – 29,042
Recoveries – 1,265,665
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,345,801. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 5 to 29,042. At the same time, recoveries increased by 426 to 1,265,665, or 94 percent of total infections. There are currently 51,094 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 918 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 2 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,093. The province now has 456,992 confirmed cases; it reported 1,493 new infections after administering 20,663 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.22 percent. There were 22 new recoveries recorded, leaving 431,357 fully recovered, and 12,542 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 513,046; it reported 3,738 new infections on Thursday after conducting 17,168 tests, a positivity ratio of 21.77 percent. The province reported 1 death and 269 recoveries, leaving 7,710 deaths and 473,008 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 32,328 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Thursday reported 331 new cases after administering 11,513 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.87 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 182,950. It recorded 2 new deaths and 60 recoveries, raising toll to 5,967 and recoveries to 175,557. There are currently 1,426 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Thursday raised its total confirmed cases to 33,780, reporting 36 new infections after conducting 759 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.74 percent. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 367 fatalities and 33,286 fully recovered. There are now 127 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases to 113,688, reporting 1,131 new cases after conducting 7,360 tests, a positivity ratio of 15.4 percent. There were no deaths and 69 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 969 casualties; 108,253 recovered; and 4,466 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 6 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday after conducting 277 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.17 percent; it currently has 10,461 confirmed cases. There were no deaths or recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 187 fatalities; 10,243 fully recovered people; and 31 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reported 73 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 1,203 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.07 percent, raising confirmed cases to 34,884. There were no deaths and 6 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 749 fatalities and 33,961 fully recovered. It now has 174 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 339,486,288 people, with over 5,583,850 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 273,198,664 patients of the 339.49 million+ infected have recovered thus far.