ISLAMABAD: A day after the nation reported its highest daily number of infections since the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) introduced new restrictions, obliging mosquegoers to present vaccine certificates to offer prayers.
In a statement issued Saturday, the body overseeing the pandemic response also decided to remove carpets and ensure a six-foot distance between worshipers to avoid the spread of the virus.
The faithful are also directed to perform ablution at home. Prayers should be offered in verandas instead of halls, while windows and doors of the worship places should be kept open.
The forum also recommended that Friday sermons should be kept brief to reduce exposure and discourage sick and elderly people and children from attending the prayers.
In the wake of the ongoing restrictions in force, the forum urged the nation to stand united in supporting the steps taken for the well-being of the public.
Earlier this week, the task force also banned indoor gatherings, weddings and dining in districts and cities with a Covid-19 transmission rate exceeding 10 percent.
DAILY CASES
Meanwhile, the nation reported 6,540 cases of the disease in the last 24 hours, a separate NCOC update showed, down from the record 7,600 infections registered the day before.
Statistics 22 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 58,902
Positive Cases: 6540
Positivity %: 11.10%
Deaths :12
Patients on Critical Care: 1,055— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) January 22, 2022
Friday’s count was Pakistan’s highest since the pandemic began two years ago. The country had last seen the most number of daily cases — 6,825 — on June 13, 2020.
Karachi recorded its highest ever positivity ratio of 46.58 percent on Friday.
The latest surge in cases is believed to be driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, triggering a fifth wave of the crisis.
The total caseload climbed to 1,360,019 Saturday, said the NCOC. Sindh has been the worst hit, with a total of 520,415 cases, followed by Punjab where the virus was detected in 460,335 people.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus transmission rate in the Sindh capital inched down to 45.14 percent after it recorded 3,467 new cases. While the contagion rate in Hyderabad stood at 16 percent, and 12.8 percent in Lahore.
A total of 29,077 people died of Covid-19 in Pakistan, including 12 patients who lost their lives to the pandemic over the last 24 hours, the NCOC said.
The nation currently has 63,344 active cases, while 1,267,598 others have recovered.
The government authorised booster vaccination shots for citizens over the age of 30. Vaccination of children over the age of 12 has been made mandatory to attend the schools and children under 12 will attend schools with 50 percent attendance.
“We might see a peak after two weeks followed by a gradual decline,” Faisal Mahmood, associate professor of infections diseases at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), told Geo television channel on Friday.
About 70 million people, or 32 percent of the population, have had two vaccine doses.
