Pakistan sees under 2,000 virus cases after 2 weeks

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday recorded 1,771 single-day coronavirus cases, the first time in 17 days, as infections continued to decline after snap lockdowns during Eid holidays appeared to slow down the rampaging third wave.

Active infections were 57,336, while 71 patients had died in the 24 hours leading to Tuesday, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The Covid positivity ratio was recorded at 3.71 per cent.

As of Tuesday, 4,161 corona-positive people were admitted in hospitals across the country. At least 3,842 patients were receiving critical care, while 443 were on ventilators.

Multan saw the highest ventilators occupancy at 69 per cent, followed by Lahore 35 per cent, Peshawar 31 per cent and Faisalabad 27 per cent. The most oxygen beds were occupied in Multan 47 per cent, Swabi 41 per cent, Karachi 38 per cent and Bahawalpur 34 per cent.

Some 47,633 tests were conducted across the country in the 24 hours leading to Tuesday, including 13,398 in Sindh, 21,881 in Punjab, 6,455 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 3,220 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,392 in Balochistan, 309 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 978 in AJK. A total of 922,824 cases were detected since the pandemic began, while the death toll is 20,850.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) special plane airlifted a batch of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from Beijing to Islamabad. Another plane of the national flag carrier will transport another batch of 500,000 doses of the same vaccine on Wednesday (today) morning, Qadir Bux Sangi, PIA Country Manager for China.

Last Sunday, a special flight PK6852 transported a consignment of 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine from Beijing to Islamabad. The government has decided to run a massive vaccination drive across the country to achieve the target of providing 70 million vaccines to the people by the end of the year. So far, about 5.3 million people have been vaccinated.