ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported 135 deaths from coronavirus on Wednesday, making it the highest single day death toll since June 29 last year.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), there were 4,681 new coronavirus cases and 135 deaths from the disease in the past day.
The total number of cases recorded so far reached 734,423 cases while the death toll has reached 15,754. The total number of active cases has increased to 69,811 while the positivity rate stood at 9.73 percent. The number of critical patients who remain in in hospitals has also increased to 4,681.
There were 48,092 coronavirus detection tests conducted in the past day, taking the total number of COVID-19 tests to 10.878 million since the first case was reported. Overall 641,912 people have recovered from the virus including 3,645 in past day.
Punjab continues to remains the worst affected area with 40,824 active cases. There have been 255,571 cases and 7,141 deaths in the province so far. Islamabad has recorded 67,491 cases and 619 deaths while there are 12,911 active cases in the region.
The number of coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has crossed the grim milestone of 100,000 cases. There are 101,045 cases and 2,732 deaths recorded in the province while the number of active case has reached 13,090. Sindh has recorded 269,840 cases and 4,530 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 20,499 and 219 deaths.
Amid the rising case in the province, the Punjab government have announced the extension of smart lockdowns enforced in COCID-19 hotspots till April 26
According to a notification, cities with a positivity ratio of more than eight percent would have a complete ban on outdoor weddings and all gatherins whereas shrines would also remain closed.
The cities include Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Chiniot, Hafizabad, Kasur, Nankanasahib, Pakpattan, Toba Tek Singh and Sheikhupura.
Train service across the province would continue with 70% capacity. Moreover, all business centers across the province would be closed at 6PM while they would remain closed on Saturday and Sunday.
The health sector also urged to strictly follow the COVID-19 SOPs and maintain social distancing to limit the spread of the virus.
