There was no sign of any Covid-19 retreat as Pakistan has recorded the single-day highest toll of infections since June 30 last year which is 5,234 with 83 deaths during the last 24 hours (Thursday), showed the figures released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday morning.
As per the latest NCOC statistics, the addition of 83 new fatalities took the countrywide death tally to 14,613 whereas the number of total confirmed cases stood at 678,165 after adding 5,234 new ones.
As many as 2,148 patients have recovered from the virus during the past 24 hours (Thursday). The total recoveries stood at 607,205 and the total count of active cases was recorded at 56,347 whereas the positivity rate stood at 10.43 percent.
As many as 265,917 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 225,953 in Punjab, 89,255 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 59,401 in Islamabad, 19,610 in Balochistan, 12,984 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 5,045 in Gilgit Baltistan.
As many as 6,485 individuals have so far lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab, 4,504 in Sindh, 2,382 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 572 in Islamabad, 358 in Azad Kashmir, 209 in Balochistan and 103 in Gilgit Baltistan.
A total of 50,170 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours (Thursday) while 10,297,54 samples have so far been tested.
Punjab: Authorities reported 58 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising total casualties to 6,485. The province now has 225,953 confirmed cases; it reported 2,772 new infections after conducting 23,039 tests, a positivity ratio of 12.03 percent. There were 741 new recoveries recorded, leaving 190,597 fully recovered, and 28,871 active cases of the virus.
Sindh: Confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Sindh have now climbed to 265,917; it reported 237 new infections on Friday after conducting 8,913 tests, a positivity ratio of 2.66 percent. The province reported 2 new deaths, raising toll to 4,504, while its recoveries rose by 108 to 256,384. Overall, the province now has 5,029 active cases of the novel coronavirus.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: The provincial government recorded 1,156 new infections after conducting 8,574 tests, a positivity ratio of 13.48 percent. Overall, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s confirmed cases have climbed to 89,255. It recorded 19 new deaths, raising toll to 2,382, while its recoveries have risen by 526 to 77,166. There are currently 9,707 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Balochistan: The province raised its confirmed cases to 19,610 with 34 new infections after conducting 590 tests, a positivity ratio of 5.76 percent. There was 1 death and 16 recoveries during the past 24 hours (Thursday), leaving 209 fatalities and 19,122 fully recovered. There were now 279 active cases of COVID-19 in the province.
Islamabad: The federal capital raised its confirmed coronavirus cases by 844 to 59,401 after conducting 7,872 tests; a positivity ratio of 10.72 percent. There were no deaths and 466 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 572 casualties; 48,050 recovered; and 10,779 active cases.
Gilgit Baltistan: Gilgit Baltistan reported 12 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Friday after conducting 272 tests, a positivity ratio of 4.41 percent; it now has 5,045 confirmed cases. The region reported no new deaths or recoveries, leaving 103 fatalities and 4,867 fully recovered people. There are currently 75 active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
Azad Kashmir: In Azad Kashmir, confirmed cases rose by 179 to 12,984 after conducting 910 tests, a positivity ratio of 19.67 percent. There were 3 deaths and 74 recoveries in the past 24 hours, leaving 358 fatalities and 11,019 fully recovered. It now has 1,607 active cases of COVID-19.
Global developments
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
- WHO savages 'slow' Europe -
The World Health Organization lambasts Europe's "unacceptably slow" vaccine rollout and says the region's surge in infections is "worrying".
- Italy vaccine shortfall -
Italy's coronavirus vaccines plan is missing its targets as it has received 28 percent fewer doses than expected, government data shows.
- South African variant -
Pfizer and BioNTech say their Covid-19 vaccine is highly effective against the South African variant in the latest phase of ongoing clinical trials.
- US ad campaign -
The US government launches a major ad campaign urging people to get vaccinated, as case numbers of Covid-19 are once again on the rise in America.
- German president -
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier receives the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, just two days after authorities recommend the controversial jab only for people aged 60 and over
- India expands drive -
India expands its coronavirus vaccination drive to the 45-60 age group as it tries to tackle a surge in new infections.
- Egypt receives vaccines -
Egypt receives over 854,000 AstraZeneca vaccines through the Covax facility for lower and middle income countries, the WHO reports.
- Uzbekistan begins jabs -
Uzbekistan begins coronavirus vaccinations, offering AstraZeneca and a Chinese-made vaccine that the Central Asian country plans to start producing soon.
- Bulgaria eases curbs -
Bulgarian health authorities controversially ease coronavirus restrictions, three days before a general election, and despite a raging third wave.
- Cycling classic postponed -
French cycling classic the Paris-Roubaix, originally scheduled for Sunday, April 11, is postponed due to the pandemic.
- Eurovision with fans -
The Dutch government gives permission for thousands of fans to attend the Eurovision Song Contest as part of a trial to see how to reopen venues in the pandemic.
- 2.8 million dead -
At least 2,816,908 people have died of Covid-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources.
The US is the worst-affected country with 552,073 deaths followed by Brazil with 321,515 fatalities, Mexico with 203,210, India with 162,927 and Britain with 126,713 deaths.
With inputs from AFP.