Thirty-nine deaths due to the coronavirus and 2,783 positive cases of the infection were reported in the country during the last twenty-four hours, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday.
According to the NCOC statistics, 49,247 tests were conducted while the positivity ratio remained 5.65 percent. The death toll due to the pandemic has now reached 22,760.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan since the pandemic began has risen to 986,668, while the number of active cases in the country has increased to 45,579. As far as the recoveries are concerned, 918,329 people have recovered from the infection in total, while 22,759 have succumbed to the virus so far.
Sindh has reported at least 1,359 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 355,445.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement that Covid-19 death toll reached 5,702 after five more patients succumbed to the virus overnight. As many as 320,215 patients have also been recovered from the disease so far, he added.
At least 415 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Punjab during the past 24 hours, taking the provincial tally to 349,890.
According to the Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Care Department, at least 9 more patients succumbed to the pandemic as the total death count reached 10,865. The department added that at least 329,478 patients had recovered from the deadly virus as of yet, with 134 people recovered in the past 24 hours.
At least five more patients succumbed to coronavirus during the past 24 hours, lifting the death toll to 4,385. According to health officials, the province reported 265 new cases as the tally reached 140,560. As many as 70 patients recovered overnight in the province, taking the total to 134,044.
Earlier this week, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha festival will be celebrated in a “limited, closed” environment, hinting at more restrictions to curb the virus spread amid fears of a fourth wave.
The minister was talking about the spike in coronavirus cases and the measures being taken by the federal government. He spoke about the new Delta variant of the coronavirus, saying that the mutations in each new variant of the virus make it very easy to “jump from one person to another”. This variant is spreading at a pace of 50-60 percent, he said.
On Tuesday last, Federal Parliamentary Health Secretary Dr Nausheen Hamid had revealed that the Delta variant of the coronavirus — which first emerged in India — is now making up a whopping 50 percent of the total infections in Pakistan. The lawmaker said the Covid-19 vaccines that Pakistan is administering are effective against the Delta variant.
Dr Hamid highlighted that no vaccine in the world is 100 percent effective against the Delta variant, however, if a person gets the jab, the virus will not affect their health badly.
