Pakistan witnesses decline in COVID-19 cases, deaths

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed a significant reduction in the number of coronavirus-related cases and deaths on Thursday, indicating the lockdown results by the government are showing results.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 2,726 cases and 75 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 911,302 while the death toll stands at 20,540.

The number of active cases has reached 59,018 while there are 4,109 people in critical condition. There were 62,706 tests conducted in the past day, while the positivity ratio has dropped to 4.34%. Overall 831,744 people have recovered from the virus, including 3,901 in the past day.

Punjab still remains the most affected region and has recorded 337,073 cases and 9,899 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province has reduced to 20,625. Islamabad has recorded 80,779 cases and 751 deaths while there are 6,811 active cases in the federal capital.

Sindh has recorded 313,059 cases and 4,966 deaths while the number of active cases in the province has increased to 23,398.  The number of coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 131,027 and 4,009 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 24,825 cases and 275 deaths.

Registration opened for ages 19 and above

Meanwhile, Pakistan has opened registrations for citizens aged 19 and above for the coronavirus vaccination. This was announced by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar about the government’s move to open registration for the 19 and above age group.

Asad Umar had said now registration will be open for the entire national population which is approved by health experts for the vaccine.

On May 16, Pakistan opened registration for persons aged 30 and above. Umar had said the government was opening up registrations for more age groups as Pakistan’s vaccine supply continues to improve and the country’s vaccination capacity gets enhanced day by day.

On May 3, Pakistan opened registration for the vaccine for people aged between 40 to 49 years across the country and subsequently, began walk-in vaccinations for people of the same age group.

A digital portal has been launched by the federal government for the registration through which a code is assigned to the person and then they can go to a designated vaccination centre and get a jab.