ISLAMABAD: Pakistan continues to witness a rise in coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the fifth wave, driven by the highly-contagious new Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the country.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 630 cases and two deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,297,865 while the death toll stands at 28,945.
The positivity ratio was recorded at 1.42%. There were 44,198 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases. There are 641 people who still remain in critical condition including nine new cases in the previous day. Overall 1,257,355 people have recovered from the virus, including 187 in the past day.
Sindh remains the worst affected region. The province has recorded 483,165 cases and 7,673 deaths while there are still 7,292 active cases. Punjab has recorded 445,630 cases and 13,075 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province remains 3,233. Islamabad has recorded 108,823 cases and 967 deaths while there are 379 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 181,498 and 5,933 deaths, while Balochistan has recorded 33,648 cases and 365 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan has recorded 10,429 cases and 186 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 34,672 cases and 746 deaths.
Fifth wave
A day earlier, the NCOC has warned that the fifth COVID-19 wave, driven by the highly contagious new Omicron variant, was spreading rapidly across Pakistan.
A meeting of the NCOC on Monday discussed the epidemic curve chart data, national vaccine strategy and disease prevalence across the country, and agreed upon taking strict measures regarding the obligatory inoculation regime.
The forum was presided over by Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar and National Coordinator Major General Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.
The forum was apprised that during the last three days, the positivity ratio in Karachi alone reached from 2% to 6% with the maximum number of positive cases.
It urged people to get vaccinated, wear masks and keep social distancing to avoid the spread of the fifth wave of COVID-19. It also mentioned that vaccinated people were less affected by Omicron variant.
The forum also reviewed the district-wise vaccination targets and directed provinces to achieve their vaccination targets as soon as possible to prevent the spread of the virus.
