Alarming situation: Pakistan's coronavirus positivity rate reaches 9.71%

ISLAMABAD: With 3,795 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in the past 24 hours, Pakistan’s positivity rate has reached 9.71%, raising concerns regarding the deteriorating situation of the second wave of coronavirus across the country.

According to the data provided by National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), for the first time in five months, the country's case positivity rate climbed to 9.71% with SARS-CoV-2 being detected in 3,795 samples out of the total 39,076 PCR tests conducted throughout Pakistan.

With 37 new deaths, the COVID-19 death tally has risen to 8,398 with a total of 420,294 cases in the country so far.

There are 55,354 active cases across the country - of which 2,539 are in critical care, whereas, the condition of 103 patients has deteriorated in the past 24 hours.

Moreover, the country has a recovery rate of over 84% as 356,542 patients have combatted the disease since the outbreak surfaced in February this year.

In a city-wise breakdown, the highest positivity rate has been reported in Karachi at 21.31% followed by Abbottabad at 17.86% and Peshawar at 16.66%. Hyderabad observed a positivity rate of 14% while Rawalpindi reported 12.09% and Lahore 9.74%.

In a bid to curtail the virus, the federal government has made face masks mandatory in public spaces, limited large public gatherings to 300, banned indoor weddings, closed shrines, cinemas, and theatres, and instructed public and private offices to adopt work-from-home policy and 50% occupancy.

Furthermore, all provinces have banned indoor dining and limited timings for markets, shops, and shopping malls. Many areas in the country have been placed under smart lockdowns.