ISLAMABAD: Another 56 people lost their lives from the novel coronavirus on Sunday, while the nation recorded another 1,239 cases as the positivity remains below four percent.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 1,239 new cases and 56 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 939,931 while the death toll stands at 21,633.
There were 36,368 tests conducted in the past day, while the positivity ratio has dropped to 3.40%. The number of active cases in the country has also declined to 42,490 while 2,760 patients still remain in critical condition. Overall 875,581 people have recovered from the virus, including 2,038 in the past day.
Punjab remains the most affected region and has recorded 343,604 cases and 10,501 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province have dropped to 11,546. Islamabad has recorded 82,099 cases and 771 deaths while there are 1,979 active cases in the federal capital.
Sindh has recorded 327,193 cases and 5,236 deaths while the number of active cases in the province has increased to 23,193. The number of coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 135,877 and 4,216 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 26,201 cases and 294 deaths.
‘Fourth Wave’
Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho has raised concerns that the country might face a fourth wave of coronavirus due to emerging COVID-19 variants.
“There is a fear of fourth wave,” said a statement issued after the meeting. The health minister directed all district administrations to expedite the Covid-19 vaccination drive.
Dr Pechuho expressed concern that the health situation might get critical again as new coronavirus variants had been reported in the country including the Delta variant, which first emerged in India.
She said that stakeholders should be taken on board to expedite the vaccination drive particularly the industrial sector. She informed that the government might consider for another lockdown if coronavirus cases increase. Therefore, she said everyone should get vaccinated to avoid this situation.
She also directed the officials to open COVID-19 vaccination centres at NADRA offices and seek support of final year students of medical and paramedical to expedite efforts. She warned that the government would take action against officials who would fail to meet vaccination targets.
