ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported 4,027 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, down from 4,286 a day earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said Sunday.
The nation registered more than 4,000 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday for the first time since August 25 as the fifth wave of the pandemic picked up speed.
The new infections pushed the nationwide caseload to 1.32 million.
In the last 24 hours, a total of 51,236 samples were tested, out of which 4,027 returned positive, showing the positivity rate of 7.8 percent.
Meanwhile, nine more patients succumbed to the disease Saturday, taking the death toll to 29,012.
The number of critical patients rose to 752.
The positivity ratio in Karachi soared to 39.39 percent, a day after the provincial government decided against imposing lockdown and instead asked the public to adopt precautionary measures and cover their faces.
According to the Sindh Health Department, 2,424 cases were reported from Karachi.
“Sindh reported 2,622 cases [Saturday], of which 2,424 were recorded from Karachi alone,” it said, adding one person died of the disease.
The department further said 229 patients are critically ill while 18 people are on ventilators.
“A total of 460 cases of Omicron variant have been confirmed in Karachi after genome-sequencing,” it said. 56 samples are being analysed for the new variant, the agency added.
The provincial task force on Covid-19 announced Saturday a host of new restrictions to control the latest wave of infections.
Presided over by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the meeting decided to keep educational institutions in the province open.
Civil servants flouting the health guidelines will be penalised. The meeting also decided to conduct a survey of hospitals, both private and public, to assess their capacity after Shah sought data on available beds — both vacant and occupied — at these facilities.
The task force said only vaccinated people will be allowed in markets with their administration required to check vaccination cards of the people. It also called for food to be served in boxes at weddings.
Meanwhile, the NCOC on Saturday discussed the need for restrictions on movement, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), amid a surge in Covid-19 cases, especially the Omicron variant.
A meeting of the body, chaired by its chairman Asad Umar, Saturday reviewed the new trends of coronavirus in the country and discussed the epidemic curve chart data, disease prevalence and proposed NPIs in the wake of rising disease, especially in the urban centres.
The NCOC decided to extensively engage with provinces especially with the Sindh government for necessary measures to tackle the rising disease.
The nerve centre to fight Covid-19 reviewed existing NPIs and called on provincial health and education ministers session on Monday.
The session was convened to suggest the new set of restrictions focusing on the education sector, public gatherings, marriage ceremonies, indoor and outdoor dining and transport sector.
