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Confirmed infections of COVID-19 reach 1,410,033, against 1,276,719 recoveries and 29,219 deaths, leaving 104,095 active cases
Pakistan on Saturday reported 7,963 new infections of COVID-19 after conducting 70,389 tests—a positivity ratio of 11.3 percent.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday announced that it was extending till Feb. 15 the preventative measures that were introduced earlier this month to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. In a statement, it said that a review of the non-pharmaceutical interventions would be conducted on Feb. 10 and reductions or further restrictions announced then. Also on Friday, the NCOC said that 12 cities across Pakistan had reported positivity ratios over 10 percent, with Peshawar leading with 29.65%, followed by Karachi with 27.92% and Muzaffarabad at 26.4%.
Confirmed Cases, Total – 1,410,033 (Tests: 24,893,290)
Punjab – 474,208
Sindh – 538,196
Balochistan – 34,277
Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa – 190,578
Islamabad – 125,203
Gilgit-Baltistan – 10,604
Pakistan-administered Kashmir – 36,967
Deaths – 29,219
Recoveries – 1,276,719
In the 24 hours preceding 8 a.m., Saturday, Pakistan’s confirmed cases climbed to 1,410,033. Meanwhile, deaths increased by 27 to 29,219. At the same time, recoveries increased by 2,062 to 1,276,719, or 90.5 percent of total infections. There are currently 104,095 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with the NCOC saying 1,375 of them require critical care.
Punjab
On Saturday, authorities reported 7 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 13,139. The province now has 474,208 confirmed cases; it reported 2,283 new infections after administering 26,936 tests, a positivity ratio of 8.5 percent. There were 774 new recoveries recorded, leaving 434,370 fully recovered, and 26,699 active cases of the virus.
Sindh
Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 538,196; it reported 2,231 new infections on Saturday after conducting 18,194 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.3 percent. The province reported 15 deaths and 791 recoveries, leaving 7,800 deaths and 477,749 total recovered. Overall, the province now has 52,647 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
The provincial government on Saturday reported 1,278 new cases after administering 13,150 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.72 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 190,578. It recorded 5 new deaths and 88 recoveries, raising toll to 5,994 and recoveries to 176,352. There are currently 8,232 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan
The province on Saturday raised its total confirmed cases to 34,277, reporting 90 new infections after conducting 955 tests, a positivity ratio of 9.4 percent. There were no deaths and 16 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 367 fatalities and 33,344 fully recovered. There are now 566 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Federal Areas
Islamabad on Saturday raised its confirmed coronavirus cases to 125,203, reporting 1,555 new cases after conducting 8,175 tests, a positivity ratio of 19 percent. There were no deaths and 344 recoveries recorded in the past 24 hours, leaving 979 casualties; 110,524 recovered; and 13,700 active cases.
Gilgit-Baltistan reported 24 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday after conducting 452 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.3 percent; it currently has 10,604 confirmed cases. There were no deaths and 4 recoveries reported in the past 24 hours, leaving 188 fatalities; 10,255 fully recovered people; and 161 active cases of COVID-19.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reported 502 new cases of COVID-19 after administering 2,527 tests, a positivity ratio of 19.9 percent, raising confirmed cases to 36,967. There were no deaths and 45 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 752 fatalities and 34,125 fully recovered. It now has 2,090 active cases of COVID-19.
Across the world
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 370,497,049 people, with over 5,668,282 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 292,470,374 patients of the 370.5 million+ infected have recovered thus far.