ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported less than one thousand cases from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, while the positivity ratio also remains below three percent as the situation improves across the country.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 838 new cases and 59 deaths in the previous 24-hour period. The national tally of coronavirus cases has reached 943,027 while the death toll stands at 21,783.
There were 35,039 tests conducted in the past day, while the positivity ratio has dropped to 2.39%. The number of active cases in the country has also reduced to 40,929 while 2,611 patients still remain in critical condition. Overall 880,316 people have recovered from the virus, including 1,576 n the past day.
Punjab has recorded the highest number of cases at 344,196 cases and 10,548 deaths, while the number of active cases in the province have dropped to 11,006. Islamabad has recorded 82,170 cases and 773 deaths while there are 1,544 active cases in the federal capital.
Sindh has recorded 328,663 cases and 5,256 deaths while the number of active cases in the province remains 23,318. The number of coronavirus cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stands at 136,205 and 4,234 deaths while Balochistan has recorded 26,275 cases and 294 deaths.
‘Sindh to block SIMs’
Meanwhile, the Sindh government has decided to block the mobile phone SIM cards of people who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah announced the decision, saying the government is trying to facilitate people in getting the vaccine and it is unacceptable if the public still did not receive the jab. He said the Sindh government is working to ensure that everyone gets inoculated while people also need to follow SOPs to eradicate the virus.
The minister said the salaries of government employees are already linked to their vaccination and any public worker who doesn’t get the COVID-19 shot will not receive their salary. He warned that anyone found to be spreading misinformation about the vaccine will be penalised.
The information minister said that incidents of vaccination certificate forgery had been reported but these were few in number and were being dealt with. He said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken notice of fake vaccination certificates being distributed at Expo Centre in Karachi and instructed the interior ministry and Sindh inspector-general to take strict action against them.
