KARACHI: The coronavirus situation continues to worsen as the country reported a record positivity ratio of nearly thirteen percent on Friday and the of daily cases reached its highest level since the start of the pandemic.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 7,678 cases and 23 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 1,353,479 while the death toll stands at 29,065.
The positivity ratio has risen to 12.93%, the highest ever since the pandemic began, while the number of active has increased to 57,935 after the recent surge in cases. There were 59,343 tests conducted in the previous day leading to new cases.
There are 961 people who still remain in critical condition including 43 new patients in the previous day. Overall 1,266,479 people have recovered from the virus, including 814 in the past day.
Sindh has recorded the highest number of cases and remains the worst affected region. The province has recorded 516,874 cases and 7,727 deaths while there are 35,807 active cases.
Punjab has recorded 458,879 cases and 13,096 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province remains at 14,144. Islamabad has recorded 114,047 cases and 971 deaths while there are 5,704 active cases in the federal capital.
The number of cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 183,403 and 5,968 deaths, while Balochistan has reported 33,812 cases and 367 deaths. Gilgit Baltistan had recorded 10,467 cases and 187 deaths while Azad Kashmir has recorded 34,997 cases and 749 deaths.
The NCOC had on Wednesday issued revised coronavirus guidelines and SOPs for the education, restaurant, entertainment, and other sectors to contain the spread of the Omicron variant.
The forum had decided that indoor weddings, dining, and gatherings will be banned in cities and districts with an infection rate higher than 10%. The schools in such cities and districts will remain open, with “staggered” classes for children under 12 years.
The NCOC also lowered the crowd attendance for Pakistan Super League (PSL) to 25% for Karachi-leg matches, while children under the age of 12 have been barred from the stadium.
