Courtesy PID
Confirmed infections rise to 325,480 against 309,136 recoveries and 6,702 deaths, leaving 9,642 active cases
Pakistan on Thursday recorded 736 infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 28,534 tests—a positivity ratio of 2.56 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Wednesday issued a statement warning that, amid rising daily infections and deaths, if the public did not achieve full compliance with government-issued SOPs, the government might have no choice but to re-impose movement restrictions. Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the P.M. on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan said that the next two weeks were critical and urged everyone to wear face masks and avoid large gatherings.
Pakistan is currently in the midst of what health authorities have warned could be a second wave of the virus. Daily infections and deaths are once more on the rise, raising fears that disease is making a comeback as the public becomes more apathetic toward social distancing measures. Meanwhile, the country has yet to fully utilize its claimed testing capacity of 72,232 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to WHO, Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which recent studies have suggested comprise the majority of infections in the country.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 325,480 (Tests: 4,177,270)
Punjab – 102,107
Sindh – 142,641
Balochistan – 15,738
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – 38,810
Islamabad – 18,438
Gilgit-Baltistan – 4,107
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 3,639
Deaths – 6,702
Recoveries – 309,136
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Thursday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 325,480. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 10 to 6,702. At the same time, recoveries increased by 462 to 309,136, or 95 percent of total infections. There are currently 9,642 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC reporting 591 of them are in critical condition.
Punjab
On Thursday, authorities reported 4 new deaths due to COVID-19, raising fatalities to 2,323. The province raised its confirmed cases to 102,107 with 171 new infections after conducting 9,639 tests. Meanwhile, its recoveries have increased by 18 to 97,289. There are now 2,495 active cases of the virus in the province.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh on Thursday rose by 293 to 142,641 after conducting 7,843 tests. The province reported 3 deaths, raising toll to 2,590, while its recoveries rose by 265 to 135,759. Overall, the province now has 4,292 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Thursday reported 1 death, raising toll to 1,266. In the past 24 hours, its recoveries rose by 58 to 37,122 while its confirmed cases have increased by 31 to 38,810 after conducting 4,459 tests. The province currently has 422 active cases of coronavirus.
Balochistan
The province has raised its confirmed cases to 15,738 with 21 new infections after conducting 1,072 tests. There were no new deaths and 24 recoveries in the past 24 hours, sustaining fatalities at 148 and raising recoveries to 15,375. There are now 215 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Thursday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 129 to 18,438 after conducting 4,406 tests. There were 2 new deaths and 82 recoveries in the past 24 hours, raising casualties to 201 and recoveries to 16,970, leaving 1,267 active cases.
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday increased by 16 to 4,107 after conducting 409 tests. The region reported no new deaths and 15 recoveries, sustaining toll at 90 and raising recoveries to 3,786. There are currently 231 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 706 tests were conducted, raising confirmed cases by 75 to 3,639. There were no recoveries or deaths in the past 24 hours, leaving 84 fatalities and 2,835 fully recovered. It now has 720 active cases of COVID-19.
Global situation
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 41,486,432 people, with over 1,136,335 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 have since eased restrictions to help shuttered economies rebound. Overall, around 30,913,521 patients of the 41.5 million+ infected have recovered thus far, with health experts warning of an impending second wave as winter approaches.