Pakistan records 146 new coronavirus deaths, 4,696 infections in a day

As a complete lockdown was enforced in Lahore for the weekend in order to stem the rising Covid-19 cases, Pakistan has reported 146 deaths and 4,696 infections from the coronavirus during the last 24 hours (Friday), showed the data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) early Saturday.

As per the NCOC latest statistics, after the addition of 4,696 fresh infections, the number of positive cases has now surged to 825,519 whereas the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 17,957 on Saturday, after adding the 146 new deaths.

As usual, Punjab remained the worst-hit province by the pandemic both in terms of cases as well as deaths followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan.

So far, 303,182 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Punjab, 283,560 in Sindh, 118,413 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22,369 in Balochistan, 75,498 in Islamabad, 17,187 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 5,310 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Furthermore, 8,500 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 4,645 in Sindh, 3,310 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 236 in Balochistan, 683 in Islamabad, 476 in Azad Kashmir, and 107 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Read More: Pakistan’s coronavirus single-day infections top 5,200, deaths 83

Pakistan has so far conducted 11,836,866 coronavirus tests and 48,740 during the last 24 hours (Friday). As many as 717,009 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 5,490 patients were in critical condition.

Punjab: Authorities reported 90 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 8,500. The province now has 303,182 confirmed cases; it reported 2,068 new infections after conducting 18,962 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.91 percent. There were 3,587 new recoveries recorded, leaving 247,050 fully recovered, and 47,632 active cases of the virus.

Sindh: Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 283,560; it reported 1,115 new infections after conducting 14,783 tests, a positivity ratio of 7.54 percent. The province reported 12 deaths, raising the toll to 4,645, while its recoveries rose by 362 to 264,414. Overall, the province now has 14,501 active cases of the novel coronavirus.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: During the past 24 hours (Friday), the provincial government recorded 856 new infections after conducting 8,102 tests, a positivity ratio of 10.56 percent. Overall, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 118,413. It recorded 36 new deaths and 796 recoveries, raising the toll to 3,310 and recoveries to 102,938. There are currently 12,165 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

Site: Pakistan posts 5,020 new coronavirus infections, 81 deaths in a day

Balochistan: The province raised its confirmed cases to 22,369 with 91 new infections after conducting 529 tests, a positivity ratio of 17.2 percent. There were 2 deaths and 137 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 236 fatalities and 20,729 fully recovered. There are now 1,404 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.

Islamabad: The federal capital raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 431 to 75,498 after conducting 4,948 tests; a positivity ratio of 8.71 percent. There were 4 deaths and 535 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 683 casualties; 62,320 recovered; and 12,495 active cases.

GB: Gilgit-Baltistan recorded five new cases of COVID-19 after conducting 405 tests, a positivity ratio of 1.23 percent; it now has 5,310 confirmed cases. The region reported 1 new death and 14 recoveries, leaving 107 fatalities and 5,086 fully recovered people. There are currently 117 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.

AJK: In Azad Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 130 to 17,187 after conducting 1,011 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.86 percent. There were 1 death and 113 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 476 fatalities and 14,472 fully recovered. It now has 2,239 active cases of COVID-19.

Global developments

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

See Also: Pakistan coronavirus deaths top 100 in a day, infections 3,953

- Aid for India -

The first US emergency aid arrives in India, as it records another 385,000 new cases in the past 24 hours -- a new global record -- and almost 3,500 deaths, according to official data that many experts suspect falls short of the true toll.

Several Indian states say they will be unable to begin vaccinating all over-18s from this weekend as planned.

- 100 million vaccinated -

One hundred million people in the United States are now fully vaccinated against Covid-19, White House pandemic response coordinator Jeff Zients says.

- French jabs -  

French President Emmanuel Macron says that vaccinations against Covid-19 will be open to all adults from June 15, as he aims to quickly reopen the country as it battles a third coronavirus wave.

- Rare Singapore cases -

A Singapore hospital has locked down four wards after detecting coronavirus cases, a rare outbreak in a country that has largely brought the virus under control.

- Tunisia opens to tourists -

The first-holiday charter planes since last summer arrive in Tunisia, carrying 300 Russian tourists, despite stiff health restrictions imposed to stem surging coronavirus cases.

Read More: Pakistan posts 98 new coronavirus deaths, 5,329 infections in a day

- Cashing in -

British pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca reports $275 million (227 million euros) in sales from its vaccine in the opening months of 2021.

- Crucial Pfizer step -

Pfizer/BioNTech says they have asked European regulators to authorize their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step toward achieving herd immunity.

- More than 150 million cases -

Some 150.3 million cases have been declared since the virus was first discovered in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

At least 3,168,333 people have died of Covid-19 around the world.

The US is the worst-affected country with 575,194 deaths, followed by Brazil with 401,186, Mexico 216,447, India 208,330, and Britain 127,502. 

With inputs from AFP.