Pakistan posts 58 more corona deaths, 2,357 infections in a day

Pakistan has registered another 58 deaths and 2,357 infections by coronavirus during the last 24 hours (Wednesday), showed the statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday morning.

As per the NCOC figures, after the addition of 58 new deaths, the overall toll has now surged to 27,432 whereas the number of total infections now stood at 1,232,595 after adding the fresh 2,357 cases.

During the last 24 hours (Wednesday), a total of 48,151 tests were conducted throughout Pakistan whereas the positivity ratio stood at 4.89 percent. The number of patients in critical care was 4,561.

Statistics 23 Sep 21:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 48,151
Positive Cases: 2,357
Positivity % : 4.89%
Deaths : 58
Patients on Critical Care: 4561

— NFRCC (@NFRCCofficial) September 23, 2021

During the last 24 hours (Thursday), as many as 2,688 patients have recovered from the virus whereas the total recoveries stood at 1,143,605. As of Sunday, the total count of active cases in the country was recorded at 61,558.

As many as 453,051 coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed in Sindh, 425,703 in Punjab, 172,210 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 104,619 in Islamabad, 32,812 in Balochistan, 33,923 in Azad Kashmir and 10,277 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Moreover, 12,490 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Punjab so far, 7,310 in Sindh, 5,463 in KP, 907 in Islamabad, 734 in Azad Kashmir, 345 in Balochistan and 183 in Gilgit Baltistan.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

Here are the global developments in the coronavirus crisis.

- Biden vaccine pledge -
President Joe Biden says the US will donate 500 million more Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to poorer countries, bringing its total commitment to 1.1 billion doses.

Biden is also to urge leaders at a virtual summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to make sure 70 percent of their populations are covered by next September.

- Six billion shots -
More than six billion doses of vaccines have been given around the world, according to an AFP tally based on official sources. 

- Bat origin clue -
Scientists have discovered another clue to the origins of the virus, with bats living in caves in Laos found to be carrying a similar pathogen that experts suggest could potentially infect humans directly.

- Delta dominates -
Delta has all but elbowed out the three other virus variants of concern, which now represent less than one percent each of the samples being sequenced, the World Health Organization says.

- Brazil's health minister positive -
Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tests positive for Covid-19 after attending the UN General Assembly in New York where President Jair Bolsonaro -- who refuses to say if he has been vaccinated -- spoke.

- Asian growth hit -
The Asian Development Bank warns of "lasting scars" from the pandemic as it cut its 2021 growth forecast for developing Asia to 7.1 percent from 7.3 percent.

- Sri Lanka seeks loan -
Sri Lanka will seek an emergency loan of $100 million from the World Bank for its vaccination drive as the country struggles with a currency crisis.

- Shots for Myanmar's rebels -
China has not only delivered vaccines to Myanmar's junta but also quietly to rebel groups that are the generals' sworn enemies, multiple rebel groups tell AFP.

- Germany gets tough -
Germans who have not been vaccinated will no longer receive compensation for lost pay if they have to quarantine from November.

- Two billion jabs call -
Amnesty International demands two billion doses of vaccines for poorer nations by the end of the year, accusing vaccine manufacturers of putting profit before lives.

- New term for Tedros? -
Germany says it is backing WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for a second term, with diplomatic sources saying the former Ethiopian health minister appeared to be the sole candidate. 

- Milan fashion 
The first Milan fashion week with mostly live audiences in 18 months begins with Fendi going back to the disco age for inspiration.

- Cricketer positive -
Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler Thangarasu Natarajan becomes the first Indian Premier League player to test positive but his team's match on Wednesday will still go ahead, organisers say.

- 4.7 million dead - 
The coronavirus has killed at least 4,705,691 people 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 678,420 deaths, followed by Brazil with 591,540, India with 445,768, Mexico with 272,580 and Russia with 200,625.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the US with 2,294, followed by Russia with 817 and Mexico with 815.

With inputs from AFP.