ISLAMABAD: Another 118 people lost their lives to novel coronavirus on Tuesday, as the country still continues to grapple with the onslaught of the fourth wave.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 3,838 cases and 118 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,160,119 while the death toll stands at 25,788.
The positivity ratio was recorded at 7.38% across the country. There were 52,112 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases.
The number of active cases in the country surged to 94,573. There are 5,542 people who remain in critical condition. Overall 1,039,758 people have recovered from the virus, including 2,837 in the past day.
Sindh has recorded the highest number of cases in the country. The province has recorded 431,636 cases and 6,875 deaths while the number of active cases has reached 50,991.
Punjab has recorded 393,136 cases and 11,876 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province has reached 25,804. Islamabad has recorded 99,263 cases and 866 deaths while there are 5,975 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 161,853 and 4,963 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 32,230 cases and 338 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan had recorded 9,906 cases and 173 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 32,230 cases and 697 deaths.
Vaccination in Sindh schools
The Sindh government has decided to launch a mass vaccination drive in schools and colleges to control the spread of the coronavirus.
During a meeting, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho and Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah announced that the vaccination phase in private and public educational institutions will commence from September 6.
Under the decision, 1.4 million students from grade 9 to grade 12 will be vaccinated, while a total of 2,527 teams from the Sindh health department will participate in the vaccinations drive.
In the first phase, the vaccination process will begin at the district level and will expand gradually. The school administration has been directed to contact the parents for their consent for the vaccination.
She further instructed the authorities that registration should also be ensured once the vaccine process is completed. The vaccine drive will be launched by the health department after completing the arrangements within six days.
